When the Flames of Hell turn from Burning to Caring
by TheCastleOfLionsAndPaladins
Summary: Edward Elric has been abused by her 'parents' ever since they took custody of her and her brother years ago. She keeps enduring it to protect her kid siblings; Alphonse, Rio, Rick and Nina. What happens when Roy Mustang enters the show? Rated M for moments/mentions of abuse, mentioned character death, blood, bad language, gender-bending, Fem!Ed, Anime puns. Warning: Dark Story/OOC.
1. Prologue: My Life Sucks

With a try of food in her mismatched metal and flesh hands, the 15-years-old girl walked down the hallway of her house, her gold, braided hair bouncing slightly with each step she took. Her golden-colored eyes scanned her surroundings, glancing at the bare walls and seeing places where photos once hung. The red coat she wore that reached a little bit over her wrists and ended at her knees kept her warm while the black jacket, dark shirt and jeans were used as a compliment to the coat. Her black-boated feet made gentle padding sounds as she walked, doing her best to keep the padding quiet as not to disturb the occupants of the house, though the difference in her flesh right leg and metal right leg were clear to the ears if strained.

It was 11:30 at night, or somewhere around that time, most people would be asleep by now. But not her. Not when she lived in a house of deadly demons and pure angels who she had to protect. She would do anything for those angels, be killed, fight, beg; anything for them. She was their older sister after all and no matter how tainted she became, she planned to protect them till her last breath and even after that. Speaking of those angels…

The girl knocked softly on a door labelled "Rio & Rick's Room" in red and blue, calling in, "Guys, I got the midnight snack, can I come in now?"

"Sure thing, Big Sister!"

"Hurry up, before Mom or Dad realize we're up!"

Nodding, the girl twisted the doorknob and pushed the door away from her, walking in, taking a quick look around and closing it behind her. Locking the door as she turned to face the 3 innocent boys and girl who sat there, all of them smiling at the sight of food, the girl reminded herself of how cute her dearest little siblings looked.

The oldest looking of the children was 11-Years-Old. He had light skin, golden-blond hair cut short and neat with a parting on the left side and the same gold eyes as the teen. The blue short-sleeved jacket over his black shirt was just visible in the low lighting, as were his white jeans and socks.

The second oldest was another boy, probably 9-Years-Old. His brown skin, spiky brown hair that suited him well, blood red eyes and blue pajamas with the characters from Toy Story dotted all around the outfit.

The third and youngest boy was about 8-Years-Old. He had brown skin and hair, similar to the second oldest boy and they shared the same eye color. He wore his red and orange Dinosaur King pajamas with a pride-filled, yet innocent smile.

The last child and the only girl was the youngest, just 5-Years-Old. Her curly light chocolate hair reached her shoulders in braided ponytails and her bright blue eyes were tinted with stardust, making them look like the night-sky. She wore her pink My Little Pony night-dress with an innocent and care-free smile.

The 15-Year-Old smiled at the kids, her siblings, her family and walked over to them, placing the tray of food on the floor in front of them. She picked up the remote and turned to TV on to one of their favorite Animes:

Rave Master

The teenager sat crossed-legged on the ground, her little sister crawling into her lap, her brunette brothers taking an arm each and placing it on their shoulders and finally the blonde brother settled himself on his side, lying in front of his siblings. The siblings spent the entire night watching the Anime, from episodes 1 to 46, and by 2 am in the morning, all the kids were asleep and the teenager had just finished tucking them into bed, properly.

"Sweet dreams, Nina." The teenager whispered, kissing the little girl's forehead softly.

"I wish you luck with defeating the Titans, Rio." The blonde smiled at the spiky-haired boy and gave his bristly head a simple stroke.

"Defeat the Society of Light, Rick." She murmured, tucking some hair behind the little brunette's right ear.

"Help the Dinosaurs, Alphonse." The 15-Year-Old girl encouraged the blonde boy, pulling the covers closer to his neck.

Smiling softly, seeing all her siblings tucked in and sleeping peacefully, Nina and Alphonse hugging each other in their sleep while Rio and Rick snored the night away, the teenager sighed and unlocked the door so she could get out. The blonde got out and looked the door again, placing the key back around her neck and walking away into her own room.

When she entered her room, she sighed, placed her back against the door and slid down it; drained from all her energy, but still very happy because of the pure, innocent moment she got to spend with her dearest, little siblings.

"Hello, Slut."

Gasping at the wicked tone of voice, the voice that could only be **his** voice, the girl jumped to her feet, flicked her bed room light on and gasped. There, on her bed, was the man she hated most in the world. His old, golden with grey streaks, pony-tailed hair, his wicked golden eyes glowing deadly red in the low light and his horrible, pale skin. He was wearing nothing but his boxers and a lust-full smirk on his face, both giving indications as to what he wanted.

"Van. What the hell are you doing in my bed room, you nasty bastard?!" The teenager growled angrily.

"Just what he always does in your bedroom, you wench."

Gasping at the second voice, the teenage girl turned her head to the right and saw leaning up against the wall was the woman she hated the most. Her dark-chocolate grey streaked hair was the same shade as Nina's and her blood red eyes matched Rio's and Rick's perfectly. She was also in nothing but her lacy, pink under-wear.

"Dante. What are you doing here, shouldn't you be at work?!" The blonde exclaimed.

The woman, Dante, shrugged, "I got bored and decided it was time to teach Alphonse about the family business. After all, you were his age when I started teaching you, weren't you?"

The teenager growled in pure rage, "I swear to Lord Death, if you even dare to touch him in any way possible, I will slit your throat!"

A powerful force collided with the back of her head and made her hit the ground, leaving the blonde dazed and vulnerable.

"That is no way for you to talk to your mother, Edward." The man, Van, growled.

"Van, baby, I say we punish her." Dante suggested, her smile turning into a lustful smirk.

The teenager, Edward, trembled at the sight of the smirk, knowing full well what would happen to her now for rebelling against her 'owners'.

"What a good idea, Dante. I planned on teaching her my side of the family business, anyway, but considering she was so mean to you, she deserves punishment instead." Van smirked lustfully at the teenager who he claimed was his daughter.

Edward continued to tremble and struggled to her feet, only to be kicked in the stomach by Dante, forcing her head to have a collision with the wooden door behind her, which was soon tainted crimson as she slid down it, completely at the two adults' mercy. As her vision faded in and out of the blackness of unconscious and the colors of the real world, she became vaguely aware of the 4 hands that were undressing her and feeling her against her will and the voices of evil whispering lustfully between each other.

"Aww, Dany, I think you hit her too hard, she might die if we continue to punish her. I say we just get on with the family business before she dies."

"Oh sure thing, Vany-Van. She looks so innocent and helpless, it makes you wanna eat her up."

"I just might do that, Dany. Would you like a bite, too?"

"Oh, I would love a bite, Van, I would."

"Then let's begin, while she's nice and fresh."

"Agreed."

Now having enough of her consciousness with her to think clearly, Edward opened her eyes and took in the horrible sight before her, forcing herself not to cry over it. She had seen it all before, why should she cry over it all again? There was no way she'd give them that satisfaction.

Dante had taken her under-wear off and was squishing her over-sized breasts up against Edward's shirt-covered ones and shoved her hand up her shirt, playing with the tiny and practically useless mounds of flesh. Meanwhile Van shoved his hand down her jeans and into her under-wear, touching her in a place that was completely forbidden, but he didn't care and neither did Dante. Edward was just a toy and they were her 'owners', so they had every right to do what they pleased with her. That was their belief anyway.

The blonde bit her tongue in order to stop herself from groaning in disgust. They would mistake it for a moan of pleasure, she knew it and even if they didn't, they'd keep doing it. They were despicable and would do the same thing to her little siblings if she didn't protect them. She didn't care about what they did to her, as long as her siblings were safe, she'd endure it all. She'd go to Hell, climb to the Heavens and back again if she had to.

That was the duty of the oldest sibling, wasn't it?

…

At 6 am, Hero by Skillet played in the room from a pink Samsung Galaxy Y phone, allowing Edward to awaken from her 'slumber'. Groaning in discomfort, she pulled herself up in bed and took a quick look around her room and at herself.

All the books and such were in place, the cloths she had been wearing were scattered all around the floor, the only thing she still had on was the necklace that had the key to her siblings' room. Her body was covered in bruises and bit-marks, along with a few nail-prints. And that was blood between her legs, just great.

Groaning in disgust, the blonde teenager crawled out of bed, wincing as her butt ached, walked over to her desk and opened it. Inside was all the contents of a mini-first aid kit and a few other things from bandages and pain killers to all the things a woman needs at least once a month. Taking a cloth from the desk and a bottle of water, she gave herself a make-shift bath.

Once she had cleaned herself to the best of her abilities, Edward got dressed into a black sleeveless shirt, a jacket, baggy-ish jeans, white socks, gloves to hide her mismatched hands, black boats and the red coat she had on yesterday. Tucking the key into her shirt and giving her greasy hair a quick comb with her fingers before braiding it, she had done all she could to make herself look presentable.

"Time to face another day of absolute Hell with an award winning poker face." She muttered to herself, looking in the mirror.

She almost couldn't recognize the girl staring back at her. But it didn't matter. Taking in a deep breath and forcing a shining smile, Edward got a determined look on her face and nodded to her reflection.

"Time to face the best day of my life with the best smile of my life!" The blonde cheered, jumping up and punching the air once.

…

Edward walked into the school grounds at 7:30 am that day, a perfectly straight line on her lips and a solemn look in her eyes that showed total indifference as the whispering began as it always did whenever she walked onto the scene.

"Well, well, well, look what the snow leopard dragged in."

"I wonder what the Ice Queen had for breakfast today. Maybe a bag full of ice cubes and dicks?"

"Nah, she probably had a barrel full."

"Look at her, walking around here like some proper, pretty, little Princess, as if we're mere peasants and she's a spoiled, rich brat she expects us all to worship."

"I bet she is. I heard her old man is some big-shot business man."

"I heard her mother's a model for dirty magazines; they say the apple never rots far from the tree, so it's hard to believe that she isn't walking in here wearing something a common prostitute would."

"Look at that outfit she's wearing! It has way too much black and are those **boys'** boats?! Disgusting!"

"Well, she does have a boy's name, do you expect her to wear girls' cloths? That would be an insult to females! And have you seen that coat she's wearing?! She wears is every day, like some sort of symbol of resistance or some other crap like that."

"And what about her hair? It's greasier then Greece itself!"

"What poor hygiene, it's no wonder she hasn't got any friends."

"Don't let your boyfriend go anywhere near her, she'll steal him all for herself with her evil Black Magic since there's no way in all of Hell she'd get one on her own."

"I bet she's fucking every teacher in this school, she's so stupid, it's the only possible explanation for how she's passing the school year in top set every single year."

"She is so fat, I bet she can't even see her feet."

"The bitch should go die!"

Their words had stopped hurting her years ago, her heart had become numb to the things her fellow peers said to/about her, it had been the only way to survive school without doing something drastic such as cut herself, take an over dose, ect. But, being numb wasn't all that bad, it actually made it easier to focus on her studies. And with no friends to bother her during breaks, she'd get extra study time all to herself.

Besides, everyone here was an asshole, she didn't care what they thought of her and she didn't need to care either, it would be wasted emotions. And she wouldn't miss her time at school thanks to the fact the teachers hated her as much as the students did, like anyone else would once they left. School itself with all the work was easy to handle, she was at least 5 lessons ahead in each class, but the social aspect of school was impossible to deal with before of all the rumors that had gone on about her and that no one had ever proven them wrong/right, but people still believed them and so avoided her like the plague.

But who cared? With no emotional attachments to other people, she could focus on the only things that were important to her:

Her siblings, her studies, her music and her Anime.

" _Which reminds me…_ " Edward thought as she put her headphones on and played a song.

 _I woke up, where am I?  
Can't remember a thing  
What do I feel?  
How did I come to this?_

 _Addiction, needles burning my skin,_  
 _The lights around me are so dim_  
 _The substance is in my blood._  
 _I feel it inside_

 _Oh sweet relief of death where are you?_  
 _Release this dark chain from my heart_  
 _Carry me with you_

 _Now I see, I finally understand_  
 _What was lost, entering this cell?_  
 _Dreaming of her, craving for the end..._  
 _I wanna escape from living this hell_  
 _This living hell_

 _Paralyzed, alone,_  
 _Standing still_  
 _I can sense the emptiness surround me_

 _Just because I can't feel_  
 _Doesn't mean I don't care_  
 _Sitting in this dark and empty room_

 _Can't move, can't shed a tear_  
 _Can't breathe, I'm trapped in here_  
 _My fragile eyes wide shut_  
 _Drifting off this endless road_  
 _This game for me is lost_

 _Now I see, I finally understand_  
 _What was lost, entering this cell?_  
 _Dreaming of her, craving for the end..._  
 _I wanna escape from living this hell_  
 _This living hell_

 _Gazing up at the vague sky_  
 _The sun is setting on me_  
 _But what an irony, God_  
 _You are always smiling at me_

 _Can't move, can't shed a tear_  
 _Can't breathe,_  
 _I'm standing still_  
 _This is my own demise_  
 _Never imagined it would end well_

Yep. Living Hell by Until Rain suited her life perfectly right now.

…

That's was the sad life of Edward Elric. Abused at home by her parents, bullied at school, friendless, her siblings her only reason for living, some people had it worst, so she didn't complain. She truly believed her life would continue on like that until she was old enough to live alone. But first, she had to live that long or die trying.

That is, until he appeared.

He came right out of thin air, stole her attention and then her heart along with it. Edward tried with all her power to push him away from her, to get him to leave, but he never did. His name was…

Roy Mustang.

And he changed her life forever.


	2. Chapter 1: Enter Roy 'Bastard' Mustang

"Good night, guys." Edward called to her little siblings the next night.

"Good night, Big Sister!" They echoed.

With a smile on her face and a spark of hope in her eyes, the teenager closed her siblings door, locked it and went down stairs, where her 'parents' were waiting for her.

Once she arrived at the bottom of the stairs, Dante looked behind the blonde, disappointment clear in her face, "Where are the kids? I was hoping to get to say goodbye to them before we left for the week."

"Sorry, but they were all so tired, that they just couldn't keep their eyes open anymore by the time I put them to bed." Edward apologized.

A lust-full smirk appeared on Van's face, exactly like the one he had on the night before, "Maybe we should go wake them up, huh, Dany?"

Dante smiled at her husband, saying, "My, what an excellent suggestion Vany-Van, I say we go do that."

Edward took a protective stance in front of her advancing 'parents', saying in a low and dangerous tone of voice, "You know they hate being woken up, especially just after they fell asleep, it would be best for you guys to leave right now."

Van and Dante blinked dumbly at the 15-year-old girl, who growled at them in warning. The two laughed at her.

"I guess for once you're right, child." Van grinned, "We'll be leaving now then, I guess."

Dante smirked, "Yes, we will indeed. Bye now, dearie."

The teenager crossed her arms over her chest in a protective fashion, stating, "Just leave, already."

Van smirked again, as did Dante, "But we can't leave without our 'Goodbye kiss' from our favorite teenage daughter."

"I'm your only teenage daughter and I think I would rather get shot in the left arm then kiss you two." The blonde hissed.

"Well then, maybe we should wake up the kids, I'm sure they'll want to give us a kiss goodbye." Dante suggested.

"Yes, let's Dany, let's." Van said.

Gasping in her mind and forcing herself to bit down her disgust, Edward launched herself at her 'father' and slammed her lips against his. Van smirked into the kiss, as did the watching Dante while Edward began to pull away. But Van grabbed her ass from behind, keeping her in place and shoving his tongue into her mouth, making the blonde's eyes widen.

"Oh, Edward, so you do care! Let me give you a hug!" Dante squealed and 'hugged' her daughter from behind, sandwiching her between her 'parents'.

" _Oh shit,_ " Edward thought, " _no escape._ "

Dante kissed the top of Edward's head and snacked her arms around her waist, her hands crawling up her shirt and grabbing at her tiny breasts, playing with them like toys. Van lipped one hand from his 'daughter's ass and snacked to the front, where once again his hand slipped into her jeans and touched her forbidden area. Edward felt like crying, she really did, but forced herself not to, for the sake of her 'parents' leaving her siblings alone.

Suddenly, the two adults pulled away from Edward, standing in front of her and smiling innocently. If you had walked in at that exact moment, you never would have guessed they had just molest the teenager.

"Well, bye-bye now." Dante giggled.

"Fair-well, Edward." Van added.

With that, the two sexually abusive parents were out the door, in their car and heading for out of town. But Edward only sighed in relief 2 minutes after their car had left her sight.

"Finally," She whispered, a few tears coming to the corners of her eyes, "they're gone."

The 15-Year-Old girl rubbed at her eyes in order to get rid of the tears of relief. Coughing to get her voice back to normal, she walked into the living room and collapsed on the sofa, falling asleep almost instantly.

The blissfulness of unconsciousness taking her to places better then she believed existed.

…

3 hours later, that was how he found her. Lying there on the sofa, looking so graceful and pretty, he thought for a moment, she was an angel trying to disguise herself in human-form. Dressed in a black shirt, a jacket, white gloves, black jeans and white socks, her blonde hair braided and cushioning her head like a halo, in that moment, he was positive that her eyes would be just as pretty as the rest of her.

So he decided to wake her up.

PAUSE! REWIND! PLAY!

 _It was 11 pm, 3 hours since Edward had put her siblings to bed and she herself had taken the plunge into dreamland. All was silent in the house, no one was up and about, no one was awake. So, no one knew he was there and about to brake in. With the click of the lock and a twist of the doorknob, the front door opened and in he walked, as if he owned the place._

" _Damn, these locks are getting too easy to pick, I want a fucking challenge." He groaned. Looking around the dark house, he sighed, "I guess no one's awake to stop me from looking around. And maybe crashing in the basement or something."_

 _So, the male walked around the house, first he went into the kitchen and stole a chocolate bar from the fridge, stuffing his face in it and putting the rapper in the rubbish when he was done._

 _Next, he went into the living room, it was fairly plain. A TV, a few sofas, an angel-_

 _Wait, what?! An angel!_

 _After taking that little double take, the male turned his head to see exactly what he thought he'd seen._

 _Lying there on the sofa, looking so graceful and pretty, he thought for a moment, she was an angel trying to disguise herself in human-form. Dressed in a white shirt, a jacket, white gloves, black jeans and white socks, her blonde hair braided and cushioning her head like a halo, in that moment, he was positive that her eyes would be just as pretty as the rest of her._

 _So he decided to wake her up._

With a mischievous smirk on his face, the male walked over to her and knelled. He rested one of his arms on the over side of her body while his other hand stroked a string of her blonde hair behind her ear. He lowered his face to that of the angel's, inch by agonizing inch, getting closer and closer to her pretty pink lips. The male closed his eyes-

THUNK! CRASH!

-only to wind up on his back, a knife to his throat, his arms restrained above his head by the wrists and weight on his stomach. He looked up to see the girl he had tried to kiss was above him, hissing like an angry cat, her eyes-

" _Oh Kami, her eyes!_ " He thought.

The girl's eyes were absolutely stunning. A perfect blend of molten gold and sun-set lights, hardened in a glare, showing she was angry but right now, he really didn't care. Her eyes glowed in the low-light of the moon, reflections of the stars were in them and made her eyes twinkle.

In short: She was gorgeous in every meaning of the word, especially her eyes.

"What the hell are you doing here, you poor bastard? Couldn't find a place with lots of money, so you decided to attack this dump and shag the owners, huh? Answer me, you scumbag!" The girl growled at him.

"Damn, you are strong for a girl! Let me go!" He grunted, trying to break free.

Edward did no such thing, in fact, she tightened her grip. "What was that about girls? Answer my question, you sexist jackass."

"You must know what I was doing if you had to tackle me." The male growled.

"No, I just attack everyone who comes to this house without my permission and attempts to kiss me while I'm sleeping." Edward hissed.

"Damn, you are one sarcastic little girl, aren't you?"

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING LITTLE?!"

Then the intruder spun around and Edward was the one on the ground. While they spun around, furiously trying to get the higher ground, Edward and the intruder had flung themselves into the moonlight, giving the blonde a good look at the person inside of her home.

He had spiky black hair, soft onyx eyes and ivory skin. He was well-muscled and looked to be the same age as her. The boy was wearing a black jacket with a white shirt, black pants and combat boots. The intruder had a smirk on his face, like he had bested Edward.

It was then that the 15-year-old realized she was now on her back. Edward struggled for a bit, but then the intruder grabbed her hands with one of his and with his free hand, he sole the knife from her hands, placing the blade to Edward's neck. The blonde flinched at the blade's coldness, but then relaxed her body and eased her breathing.

"Just do it already." Edward said, not even fighting back anymore.

She was sick of living, knowing she was related to those disgusting bastards. No one wanted her around. What was the point of living if you were hated by everyone…including your own parents? The boy looked at her in utter shock, but then a small look of sympathy crossed his face and he smiled sadly.

"I was hoping you would beg me not to." He said, his voice filled with honest sympathy.

He removed the knife from her neck and put it away in his back pocket. He let go of Edward and sat in front of her, helping her up from the wooden floor by the hand. Looking at him as if he were insane, Edward felt her face turn bright red from the simple human contact. She couldn't remember when the last time someone held her hand so gently and tenderly was…

"You have an attic right? If it's okay with you, I'd like to crash here for tonight." The black-head said calmly and casually, like he wasn't just about to kill her a second ago.

"Oh? Umm, no, but we do have a basement. Will that work?" Edward said after a bit.

"Sure, that's fine with me." The boy smiled at her, softly.

Edward adjusted her coat and jacket, got up and dusted off her jeans for a few seconds. The black-haired boy did the same.

"But what makes you think I won't call the cops on you?" Edward said, glaring at the strange guy in her living room.

"Oh…I didn't even think of that. You're stunning face rendered me brain-dead." The black-head chuckled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

"Stop flirting with me, or I really will call the cops." Edward huffed, her face turning a pale pink. She turned towards the stairs and opened the door by them, turning to the boy and calling, "Follow me and keep your mouth closed."

The black smiled and followed the slightly shorter human into the room, calling, "They call me Roy Mustang, by the way."

After quickly glancing up the stairs to see if her siblings were still asleep, which they were, Edward continued down on to the concrete stairs, ignoring Roy when he attempted to make light conversation. The two went down the concrete stairs. Edward had no idea why she was letting this stranger into her house, especially after their little conversation. Maybe it was because he speared her life? Or was it because he held her hand?

When she got to the bottom, the blonde flicked on the light-switch. Roy looked into the basement, curiosity eating at him as he noticed all the details of the place. The ceiling was a bit lower than the other floors. It wasn't what he expected. The wooded floor wasn't dusty, there were several labelled boxes, (pictures, clothes, dishes, decorations, toys, est.) and on a rack was a collection of guns.

"Are those real?" The black-head asked, pointing at the rack.

"Yes and loaded. Don't get any ideas, though, they're my father's and he'd shoot someone every time someone touched them. With the exact same gun that person touched, too. He's kinda a psychopath." Edward said, casually as she opened one of the boxes that was labelled 'Bedding'.

"I can see. You obviously got it from somewhere, I guess it was him." The boy chuckled and admired the guns from affair, occasionally stealing glances at the girl he was alone with.

"You've known me for barely 5 minutes, you can't diagnose me for psychopath-isum that fast, screw boy." Edward hissed and pulled out all of the pillows and blankets, making a temporary bed with the blankets.

"But my name's Roy, not 'screw-boy'. And what I meant was that I once read that most psychopaths are at least 1 mire shorter then the average adult." He reminded her.

Sweat dropping and a GIANT tick mark appearing on her head, Edward decided to ignore him instead of lashing out since he had obviously been looking for a reaction and continued making the bed.

When she was done, she stood up and whipped her hands together, saying with a very tiny smile, "There." she placed the back of her hands on her hips and turned to the boy, "Now, how long will you be here?"

"I don't know, seems like I get pretty good service here and a very pretty servant. Maybe forever?" Roy teased, lying on the blankets that Edward had piled on top of one another to be a mattress.

Edward glared at the boy, her face turning pink. She hated it when boys talked to her as if she had something for them. The boy sensed the hatred in the air and smirked, laughing heartedly at the blonde.

"Calm down, Edward, I was joking." He turned over on the fake mattress.

"How did you know my name, you bastard?" She gaped.

"Well, that isn't the way a lady should speak, now is it? And to answer your question, a childhood friend goes to your school. He sometimes talks about you. Anyway, see you at breakfast." Roy turned over in his fake bed, smirking to himself.

"Whoever said I was a lady, you pervert? How about you not come to breakfast, okay? My siblings are here and I don't want you to cause trouble. Or else you'd be losing some body parts that males consider very vital to reproduction." Edward warned the boy, glaring at his body shape.

"Is that a threat, Edward?" Roy asked, smugly.

"It's only a threat if you can't back it up."

"Yeah, I heard about what you did to Shou Tucker on the Science Club in your freshman year. I also heard that his operation went well, too."

"I still say he kicked himself in the balls and lost a tooth when he punched himself."

"Hey, you don't need to be so defensive around me, I personally think the jackass deserved it."

"You've never met him, how can you decide he's a jackass so fast?"

"Because someone as kind and sweet as you hates him."

With a huff and a red face, Edward left the room and headed up the concrete stairs, wooden stairs and into her own room, doing her best not to slam the doors when she closed them behind her. She slumped down with her back to the door and pulled herself into a ball, burying her head in her arms that rested on her knees.

"Nasty perverts. That's all boys are." She grumbled to herself.

…

Back in the basement, Roy smiled slightly.

"Beautiful and badass. What more can a guy ask for?" He sighed, dreamily.

Really, he couldn't see anything he didn't like about Edward. She was rude, crude, seemingly very tomboyish but also kind (in her own way), bold, strong. All the things he liked in a person, she was all of them, he even, somehow, liked the 'bad things' about her. It all made him smirk as he said;

"Getting to know that wild cat is gonna be so awesome."

Then, something caught his attention. It looked like an old radio and since he was board, he turned it onto the first channel that worked. He recognized the song playing at the time.

 _Just a day, just an, ordinary day  
Just tryin' to get by  
Just a boy, just an, ordinary boy but  
He was looking to the sky and  
As he asked if I would come along  
I started to realize that everyday he finds just what he's lookin' for  
And like a shooting star he shines, and he said_

 _Take my hand, live while you can,_  
 _Don't you see your dreams lie right in the palm of your hand_

 _And as he spoke, he spoke, ordinary words_  
 _Though they did not feel_  
 _For I felt what I had not felt before_  
 _And you'd swear those words could heal and_  
 _As I looked up into those eyes, his vision borrows mine_  
 _And I know he's no stranger_  
 _For I feel I've held him for all of time, and he said_

 _Take my hand, live while you can,_  
 _Don't you see your dreams lie right in the palm of your hand_

 _Please come with me, see what I see_  
 _Touch the stars for time will not flee_  
 _Time will not flee, can't you see_

 _Just a dream, just an, ordinary dream_  
 _As I wake in bed_  
 _And that boy, that ordinary boy_  
 _Was it all in my head?_  
 _Didn't he ask if I would come along_  
 _It all seemed so real, but as I looked to the door_  
 _I saw that boy standing there with a deal, and he said_

 _Take my hand, live while you can,_  
 _Don't you see your dreams lie right in the palm of your hand_

 _Just a day, just an ordinary day_  
 _Just tryin' to get by_  
 _Just a boy, just an ordinary boy, but_  
 _He was looking to the sky_

That song was Ordinary Day by Vanessa Carlton. It was one of his mother's favorite songs. And he knew for a fact that he felt like he had just gone through something somewhat similar to the lyrics of the song. Because today had been just an ordinary day, but he had run into an extraordinary person.


	3. Chapter 2: Meeting May Chang

The following day, Edward woke up in her room to hear pounding on the downstairs front door. Concerned, the teenage tomboy ran as fast as her legs would allow her and without hesitation, she pulled the door open, allowing whoever was making the noise to come in. And it turned out to be a little girl, probably the same age as Alphonse running in, towards the closet and slamming the door behind her shut. Sobbing and sniffles could be heard through the wooden door, making Edward's heart clench painfully in her chest.

"Kid?" She called softly, attempting not to startle the child.

"I'm sorry!" The girl screamed, startling Edward, "I'm sorry for barging in here! I'm sorry if I broke anything! I'm sorry if I woke you up! Please, I'll do anything you ask, just please don't let her know I'm here!"

"Who? What does she look like?" Edward asked softly, locking the front door and walking over to the closet to kneel by it.

"My mother! She wants to beat me up because I just wanted to see Alphonse this weekend! Please, don't let her come here, I'm begging you, Edward!" The girl sobbed and half-screamed.

Deciding to question the girl later as to why she knew so much, Edward nodded, "Don't worry, Kid, you'll be safe here, I promise I won't let some dumb old hag get in here."

The girl inside the closet giggled softly, "Actually, my mother looks like a model. You know, the stupid ones with the long blonde hair and 'stunning' blue eyes that get men begging on their knees for a second glance."

"Oh, so I should keep my eyes open for a woman with a pretty face and rotten heart, huh? Don't worry, she won't get anywhere near you." Edward promised.

"Thanks Edward." The child smiled.

"No problem. Now, keep quiet and don't come out until I come to get you, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks again, Edward."

"You don't need to thank me, Kid, now shut up."

With that, Edward stood and walked over to all the windows and doors to the house, locking each of them and covering them with either the black-out curtains or cardboard covers her 'parents' used when they were in the mood for some downstairs activity.

After locking the door with 3 extra locks and covering the spy-glass/pepping-hole, the blonde 15-Year-Old knocked on the closet 3 times, calling, "It's safe to come out now. All the windows and doors are locked up and blocked out so no one will be able to see into the house and know you're here."

The doorknob spun, opened and out walked a girl who Edward had only ever heard rumors of. She had silky dark hair flowing to her hips in 6 brides, her eyes a gentle yet bright green, her skin pale and her face that of a Chinese. She was wearing a pink Chinese-style shirt, a dark pink sash over it, lavender pants and black ballet shoes.

This had to be her: May Chang, Alphonse's beloved girlfriend of 1 month and 2 weeks.

2 months ago, Alphonse had come home completely and utterly smitten and wouldn't stop talking about the beautiful new girl who sat next to him in class. 2 weeks after none-stop talking about how he was so in love with her and yet so unworthy, Edward had finally had enough and all but forced her brother to make a confession.

Next thing she knew, Alphonse wouldn't stop yacking about how it worked and how his precious "May-chan" was now his girlfriend. They had gone on barely any dates (out-side of school) and had pretty much just been having lunch together, talking, become friends with each other's friends and taking an occasional cute picture with each other, but Edward could see how much her brother loved this girl.

But she swore that if May broke his heart, she'd snap her neck. That was a promise.

The possible future-in-law waved shyly, saying, "Hello, Edward. My name's May. I'm-"

"Alphonse's girlfriend, I know. He's completely smitten with you and talks so much about you, that it's almost enough to make me wanna be sick. I'm guessing since you knew my name, he talked about me as much as he talks about you." Edward cut in, smiling.

May giggled softly, sheepishly scratching her cheek, "Yeah, I'm really sorry about that."

The teenager smiled and shook her head, "Don't apologies, I'm glad you make him happy." But then her face took on a deadly and cold beauty, stating, "But if you dare brake his heart, I will break your neck."

"I-I-I'll keep th-that in mi-mind." The black-haired girl stuttered, shivering at the coldness of the look.

Her face taking on a happy and innocent look again, Edward smiled, "Good to know. Now, let's go wake up the others and have breakfast together, okay?"

Nodding, May and Edward went upstairs and after unlocking the door when she wasn't looking, Edward went back down stairs to wake up her own guest and allowed May to be the one to wake everyone up.

When she reached the bottom of the basement, Edward flicked on the light, calling as she turned her head in his direction, "Okay, Roy, I'm gonna start making breakfast, so you better be wake…ing… UP?!"

The poor 15-years-old had arrived just in time to catch Roy with his shirt off and looking at her with little interest.

When his brain finally seemed to register that he was half-stripped in front of the blonde, he smirked lightly and made a pose, "Morning Edward. Like what you see?"

With her face bright red, almost red enough to make Slifer the Sky Dragon envious, she quickly stuttered out an apology and ran as fast as she could up the stairs, not bothering to turn the lights off. Laughing at her back, Roy turned back around and put his shirt back on.

"I'm gonna have to do that sometime again, soon. She was so cute with her face all red." He chuckled to himself.

…

Back upstairs on ground level, Edward put her back to the basement door and slowly slid down it, her hand over her raising heart and panting chest.

" _What the Hell was that?! It's not like I haven't seen guys without their shirts on before, it happens practically all the time in Animes! Hell, I've lost count on how many times I've seen it because of what those bastards make me do! Why the bloody Hell did I feel so embarrassed?! What the Hell is wrong with me?!_ " She screamed at herself, before groaning and slapping her face, "I need a distraction."

With that, the blonde teenager went into the kitchen and began frying some of the ready-made pancake batter she had made last night for this morning, attempting to get her little encounter with Roy out of her mind. And it worked when she started singing one of her favorite Anime openings:

"Black Paper Moon" by Tommy heavenly6 from Soul Eater.

…

Back with May, who had woken everyone up and taken Nina out to help her get dressed since that was normally Edward's job, she became a bit distracted when she was brushing the 5-year-old's hair when she heard singing.

"Is that Edward's singing, Nina?" The curious black-haired girl asked, turning her head so she could face the little brunette properly.

She nodded, giggling, "Edward only ever sings when she's trying to distract herself from something, so I think we might get a ruined breakfast if we don't hurry up."

Smiling, the two girls nodded and went over to the boys' room, to see Alphonse, Rio and Rick already making their way down stairs.

"I smell something cooking!" Rio exclaimed in excitement.

"Me too! I think it's pancakes!" Rick added, giggling.

"Awesome! Edward's pancakes are the best!" Alphonse smiled and turned to May, taking her hand in a gentle grip and saying, "You'll love them!"

May smiled and tightened the grip she had on Alphonse's hand, stating, "I'm sure I will."

Nina giggled as she held May's hand, singing, "Alphonse and May-May, eating pancakes, fell off the table on their first date!"

"Nina, don't jinks it!" Alphonse scolded with a bright pink blush.

All the kids laughed softly at the little girl's comment and the oldest boy's blush, coming at the bottom of the stairs and into the living room. They all sat down on the sofa in the living room, Rio taking the left arm, Alphonse and May cuddling on the left seat, Nina giggling on the right seat and Rick lounging on the right arm.

A few minutes later, Edward walked in on that scene, calling, "Breakfast is ready, guys! Eat up!"

Edward sat all the plates of food on the coffee table and handed May the TV remote, stating, "May's the guest so be nice and let her chose what you guys watch today, okay? If I hear any arguing, you're all gonna wish that The Supreme King was here instead of me, got it?"

With slightly frightened looks in all of their eyes, Alphonse, Rick, Rio and Nina nodded, May looking on in slight confusion. Edward smiled and disappeared back into the kitchen, faint sounds of chatter, the TV being turned on and hungry mouths behind fed. Chuckling, she picked up the last plate of pancakes and went down into the basement, seeing Roy sitting on the make shift bed, shirt on and legs crossed, yawning.

"Tired, Mr. Bastard Stripper?" Edward teased, placing the plate down in front of him.

"Nah." Roy waved it off, taking the knife and fork to eat his pancakes, "Just board. But now that you're here, I think we can have a little fun."

Rolling her eyes, she stood up, "As great as 'having a little fun' sounds, I think I'd rather go eat some breakfast. Later, Roy, I'll be back for the plate once you're done with it."

With that, the blonde teenager was already heading up the stairs and disappearing back into the house. Roy sighed, feeling a bit neglected, but shook it off and continued eating the pancakes his hostess made. And damn! They were good!

…

Smiling softly to herself once she was out, Edward headed into the kitchen again and made herself a plain old bowl of serials. She had planned last night on being rebellious and eating some of her own pancakes for once, since she had been forbidden to, but with her little brother's girlfriend here, she decided to just hand over her pancakes and make herself something less fancy.

After all, it's not every day that you meet someone as important as the girl who holds your only blood brother's heart in his hands.

"Wait, what?! Alphonse is her only blood brother?!" Is that what you're thinking?

You see, Edward and Alphonse weren't Dante's children. Edward and Alphonse had been the daughter and son of Trisha Elric and her father was unfortunately Van Hohenheim. However, a car accident took Trisha from this world and before another family could adopt her and her brother, Van and Dante had taken them in. Edward was 11-years-old when she was adopted and the abuse started a day later. She took on the duty of protecting her little brothers and sister. Even though they were siblings in only name and half-blood, they were still siblings and Edward was still the oldest and she believed it was the duty of the oldest sibling to protect the younger ones. Even if she died, she swore, she would protect them in life and in death, no matter what the cost.

Because if she didn't, who else would?

Finally having finished her breakfast, Edward got up and started running the water in the sink so she could wash the dishes. She first went down into the basement to get Roy's plate.

When she arrived, the blonde found Roy still there and lying on the floor. He looked bored out of his mind.

"Thank Kami, some entertainment! I am bored out of my mind!" Roy cried.

Edward smirked. She was right.

"Far from it. I am only collecting the dishes, as I said I would last time I was down here." Edward spoke with a tint of happiness in her voice.

She didn't know why, but she sorta liked that he was suffering. Edward was in a lot of pain from yesterday and it was his fault for braking into the house and trying to kiss her. At least she somewhat kicked his ass for it.

"Aw…please? I'm all alone down here with nothing to do. Have a heart!" Roy pleaded, sounding like a little kid with each whine.

Edward giggled, pocked her tongue out at him, calling, "Sorry. But my siblings are still here, so is my brother's girlfriend and I've got dishes to wash so, later."

With a hop, skip and a jump, she was gone and Roy was left there, pouting like a spoiled child.

…

Now that was done, Edward slipped into the living room, took her younger siblings' and May's empty plates away to wash them in the sink. With the sink full of suds and bubbles, along with the happy voices of her siblings and May laughing at Inuyasha getting 'Sat' by Kagome (from the Anime Inuyasha), she really couldn't stop herself from braking out into a singing fest herself.

" _Everyday, everyway, is all the same,  
when did my life get so boring?  
Shows they come and shows they go,  
to me, it's all the same, oh-oh-oh._

 _What would it be like, living on the other side?  
Wouldn't you like to know?  
Here they come and there they go,  
follow them if you want to know, oh-oh-h._

 _Why can't my life be like an Anime?  
What's wrong with a bit little of action?  
Why can't my life be like a Manga?  
What's wrong with a little romance?  
My life is so lame, I don't wanna stay,  
please someone shake it up and  
take me away._"

Humming the tune she had come up with, Edward turned on the recording app on her phone, repeated the lines and got on with the second verse.

" _Life is alright, could be worst on the out-side,  
but I still wanna know.  
Call me spoiled, or even ungrateful,  
but this small town life is way too civil._

 _I wanna get out, I wanna fight,  
I wanna know what it feels like to fight for my life,  
to fight for those I love, to fight for my beliefs.  
Oh please, can't somebody please tell me?!_

 _Why can't my life be like an Anime?  
What's wrong with a bit little of action?  
Why can't my life be like a Manga?  
What's wrong with a little romance?  
My life is so lame, I don't wanna stay,  
please someone shake it up and  
take me away._"

She hummed for a little bit more and was about to break into the last verse before a final repeat of the chorus when a new voice joined in.

" **You don't have to stay, let me take you away.  
We can turn our own lives into Anime.  
We could be Natsu and Lucy,  
Sango and Miroku,  
Otonashi and Kanade.  
We could be all of these things,  
if you'd just give us a chance to happen,  
oh baby!**"

Turning around, Edward was shocked out of her mind to find Roy standing behind her, singing along to the tune she had been humming. But the recorder didn't have forever, so she decided to hit him for sneaking up on her later.

" _Why can't my life be like an Anime?_ **(Who ever said we can't make our own?)  
** _What's wrong with a little bit of action?_ **(Who ever said there isn't any action here?) _  
_** _Why can't my life be like a Manga?_ **(Who ever said we can't make our own?) _  
_** _What's wrong with a little romance?_ **(Who ever said there isn't any love here?) _  
_** _My life is so lame, I don't wanna stay,_ **(If it's that lame, let me take you away,)** _  
_ _please someone shake it up and_ **(let me shake it up and)**

 _ **take** me/_ **you _away._** "

Stopping the recording at that moment, Edward turned back around and glared at the boy who was probably the same age as her, growling quietly, "What the Hell are you doing here, Roy, I told you to stay in the basement?!"

The boy shrugged, stating, "I heard an angel's voice and wondered if it would give me the great honor of singing with it. And I am very glad that she allowed me to sing with her. Maybe she'd like to sing a different song, like Shake It by Maroon 5."

"You pervert! Get back down there or I'm gonna royally kick your ass!"

"What? I just wanted to sing a song-"

"A dirty song!"

"Oh, so you do know that song! And you're the one who called me a pervert."

"Shut up. I'd rather read a crappy fanfiction about Inuyasha and Miroku getting married and then killing each other than sing with you again. You're worst then Hojo and Koga combined."

"How am I like scrawny, little Hojo and wolf boy Koga? I'm complimenting you and you're acting as if it's a bad thing."

"It is a bad thing, you fool! Roy no baka!"

"I'm not an idiot."

"You sure?"

"Very."

"Then who did Sora marry and then get divorced with?"

"Sora never divorced anyone."

"I'm talking about Sora from Digimon Adventures, you dumbass."

"I know and that's what happened, isn't it? Sora had a kid with her, so she must have been married, right?"

"She had been married and then divorced the father of her eldest child. Do you even know who that father was?"

"Umm… No?"

"It was Yamato, stupid! Ugh, just get out of my house right now before my siblings see you!"

"Before we see who, sis? Your new boyfriend?"

Yelping in surprise, Roy and Edward turned to see Alphonse, May, Rio, Rick and Nina standing there, seeing Roy and Edward up close and in each other's faces, it looked like all it would take would be one more push and then they'd kiss. And it looked as if they were about to kiss to before the kids walked in.

"Yo." Roy greeted.

"What the heck are you guys doing here?! Shouldn't you be watching Inuyasha and the crew beating the heck out of Naraku right now?" Edward yelped.

"We heard loud talking and decided to check it out. Just turns out our older sister is having a lovers' spat with her new boyfriend that she never told us about." Rio huffed.

"I never told you about him because he isn't my boyfriend!" The blonde teenager exclaimed.

"Then what's he doing here?" Nina asked, innocently.

The 15-year-old growled and pointed an accusing finger at Roy, stating, "This lumbering idiot broke-"

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

May and Edward gasped, in fright and surprise respectfully, exclaiming, "We need to hide me/you!"

"Why? What's wrong May-chan?" Alphonse asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I think my Mom is here! Please, Alphonse-kun, you have to hide me!" May begged, turning to her boyfriend with a frightful expression on her face.

Edward pointed at the stairs, ordering, "I want everyone upstairs in the guys' room right now! And be as quiet as you can!"

Without hesitation, everyone ran up and into the boys' room, Edward staying out and locking it.

"Everyone be quiet until I come to get you, okay? Don't talk, don't laugh, don't even breathe too loudly." Edward ordered.

"Okay, Big Sister." Nina called back.

"Roy, if you even touch any of my siblings or May, there's gonna be Hell to pay." The 15-years-old warned.

"Fine." Roy grumbled.

With that and the sound of more knocking on the door bringing her back to her senses, Edward ran down the stairs and opened the door a crack, saying in the eeriest voice she could muster, "Yes?"

"Excuse me, but is there by any chance a little Chinese, black-haired girl is in there?" A horribly shrieking voice questioned.

Edward frowned and opened the door enough for her to come out, but after she did, she locked it immediately, turning to face the witch on her doorstep, asking, "And what business would you have with this 'black-haired, Chinese girl', ma'am?"

May's mother looked exactly as she was described to look. Blonde hair, blue eyes, big chest, lots of make-up. Exactly what a model would look like with her fancy-pansy glassy high heels and pretty-witty blue dress appropriate for a gala but not for a normal day. Surprisingly, Edward recognized her as the most popular model in her school that all the boys wanted to fuck and all the girls wanted to be like. Lizabeth Chang, mother of the 'popular/mean girl' Lan-Fan Chang who picked on Edward a lot.

"Her boyfriend lives here and she ran away when I was just taking her out to her first photo-shoot. That child doesn't want to be a model. I mean, what kind of girl doesn't want to be a model? I'm giving her the chance at every girl's dream and she just runs away to her precious boyfriend's house? There is no way she could possibly be a girl with an attitude like that. I am going to have to train her." Lizabeth huffed.

Edward frowned. This ugly hag was reminding her too much of Dante and Van. With a firm voice and an innocent smile, Edward said, "I have to agree, what kind of girl wouldn't wanna be a model? It was always my dream as a child, but sadly, I didn't grow up to be pretty enough for it. My mother and father are away for the weekend and my older brother just took my younger siblings to a fun fair or something, so I'm all on my own right now. But if I see your youngest daughter, don't worry ma'am, I will inform you as soon as I see her."

"You better." Lizabeth growled, and muttered under her breath, "that little bitch is going to get a beating for this humiliation. She will regret not being like her sister and trying to be a model."

"What did you say, ma'am?" The 15-years-old questioned, keeping her sickeningly sweet smile in place.

"Oh, nothing dearie. Well, I had better be off. Ciao." With a bad pronunciation, the model was gone.

And with a frown on her face, so was Edward. She was sprinting towards the police station as fast as her legs could carry her. The teenager had her phone with her the whole time and she had recorded everything. There was no way she would allow May and Lan-Fan to stay in a house with a woman like that.

Not on her life.

…

When she arrived, she went over to the front desk and asked the receptionist, "Excuse me, but may I please speck to Officer Vato Falman? It's kinda urgent."

The receptionist nodded and pointed over to the seats, "Please, sit over there and wait until I come to get you."

With a nod, Edward sat down and pulled out her cell phone, calling Alphonse's number immediately.

…

A little while ago, the gang had realized it was safe to come out and so everyone was down stairs in the living room, waiting for Edward to come home and passing the time by talking with Roy.

"So, how long have you known our sister?" Alphonse asked.

"About a day or so." Roy shrugged.

"When and where did you met her?" Rio questioned.

"When I broke into your house last night and tried to kiss her when she was sleeping. She totally kicked my butt, though." The teenager groaned.

"Yeah, that sounds like something she would do. Why aren't you at the police station?" Rick asked.

"I guess because she didn't report me. I was in the basement the whole time." The black-head explained.

"I don't think I've seen you around before, did you just move here or something?" May asked, smiling.

"Yeah. Yesterday I moved back in with my Mom and since I was board, I decided to explore a bit and practice my lock-picking. I didn't realize how late it was and decided to crash at the next house I made it to. Boy, was I lucky it was this house, too." The 16-year-old smiled.

"How do you feel about Edward?" Nina questioned.

His face taking on a slight taint of red, opened his mouth to answer her with, "I think I-"

" **My life had been too still,  
my heart is unfulfilled.  
But you could be the one to set me free.**"

"Oh, that's my phone. Gomen." Alphonse apologized and pulled it out of his pocket, calling, "Hello?"

" **Brother, you there?** " Edward's voice called.

"Edward?! What's going on? Why did you run away?"

" **Put the phone on speaker and get everyone together, right now.** "

"Everyone is already here, Sister. What's the matter?"

" **Just get the speaker on! Or better yet, get everyone down to the police station right now!** "

"The police station?! What the Hell are you doing there?!"

" **Making sure that May and Lan-Fan won't have to put up with being abused anymore. Now get everyone here immediately!** "

"Sister? Sister?!" Alphonse yelled, but he closed his phone with a sigh, "She already ended the call."

"What's going on, Alphonse-kun?" May asked, fearful.

"I don't know. Edward just told me to get everyone at the police station because you and some girl named Lan-Fan were being used anymore or something." The blonde boy sighed.

The black-haired girl gasped, slapping a hand over her mouth. Everyone looked at her in concern.

"Sister May-May?" Nina called, tugging on May's pants.

Roy shrugged and stood up, stating, "I don't really know what's going on, but Edward is at the police station, right? Then we need to go before it's too late and we miss out on what's gonna happen."

Nodding, everyone ran out the door and towards the police station, Alphonse taking May's hand in a gentle grip and stating, "It'll be okay, May, I promise. I'll be there every step of the way from now to the end."

Looking at her boyfriend in shock, but a small smile taking a hold of her face and her hand forming a tighter grip on his hand, May said with slight tears in her eyes, "Thank you so much, Alphonse."

The Alphonse stopped running for a moment, making May stop, too. His brought their linked hands to his face and gentle kissed her knuckle, making her blush furiously. Looking at him in slight surprise, the blonde simply smiled and started running again, tugging the black-haired girl behind him and calling over the winds:

"I love you, May. I will never leave you, I promise I won't!"

May looked at her boyfriend's back, noticing how broad his shoulders were and smiled, tightening her grip on his hand and whispering to herself:

"I know."

…

Back with Edward, who was waiting on the officer to arrive, she decided to put her headphones in and put her playlists on random. And the song that came up sure had good timing.

 _Little girl terrified  
She'd leave her room if only bruises would heal  
A home is no place to hide  
Her heart is breaking from the pain that she feels_

 _Every day's the same_  
 _She fights to find her way_  
 _She hurts, she breaks, she hides, and tries to pray_  
 _She wonders why, does anyone ever hear her when she cries?_

 _Today she's turning sixteen_  
 _Everyone's singing, but she can't seem to smile_  
 _They never get past arms length_  
 _How could they act like everything is alright?_  
 _Pulling down her long sleeves_  
 _To cover all the memories the scars leave_  
 _She says, "Maybe making me bleed_  
 _will be the answer that could wash the slate clean."_

 _Every day's the same  
She fights to find her way  
She hurts, she breaks, she hides, and tries to pray  
She wonders why, does anyone ever hear her when she cries?_

 _This is the dark before the dawn_  
 _The storm before the clear_  
 _Don't be afraid 'cause seasons change and_  
 _God is watching over you_  
 _He hears you_

 _Every day's the same_  
 _She fights to find her way_  
 _She hurts, she breaks, she hides, and tries to pray_  
 _She'll be just fine, 'cause I know he hears her when she cries_

 _Every day's the same_  
 _She fights to find her way_  
 _She hurts, she breaks, she hides, and tries to pray_  
 _She'll be just fine, 'cause I know he hears her when she cries_  
 _She'll be just fine, 'cause I know he hears her when she cries_

Yep, She Cries by Britt Nicole was exactly the song to fit this moment in her life. Or rather, this moment in May's life.


	4. Chapter 3: The Roots of Hope

When they arrived at the police station, everyone walked in just in time to see Edward talking to an officer. He had a thin face, hair grey with age and military cut, but his eyes were slits.

After a nod from the officer and Edward, he turned around and left, making the blonde turn as well. She finally caught sight of her family, smiled and ran over to them, instantly getting glomped by Rio, Rick and Nina.

"Whoa, there, kids." She chuckled softly, getting on a knee so she could be closer to her siblings, gently placing her hand on Rio's head, ruffling it a bit, "you're getting too strong for your own good these days."

"Edward, why did you ask us all to come here?" May asked, looking somewhat nervous and unsure.

The blonde teenager's bright smile turned into a soft turn of the lips, one of sympathy and… sorrow? Roy could never really read the girl all that well. Anyway, Edward gently stood up and pointed in the direction of the doors, stating, "I think it would be better if we all went somewhere we were more comfortable in."

Alphonse frowned slightly, stating, "But we just got here."

Edward smiled sadly but got up, picking up Nina as she went, stating, "And now we're leaving. No point in forcing you guys to stay here any longer then needed. Besides, you already missed it."

"Missed what?" Roy asked.

The blonde looked downwards, sadly, but then sighed and turned to the others, stating, "You'll find out once we get home." She turned around, calling over her should, "Now, let's go."

Though puzzled, the boys shrugged and followed after their sister/… What the hell did the blonde consider him as anyway? An acquaintance? Friend?

" _I'll ask her when this thing with May is finished._ " Roy decided.

…

When they all got home, May was as nervous as a transfer student (like her) could be. She felt like she was feeling her first day of school all over again. Though she knew it wasn't actually happening, she felt like everyone was staring at her, judging her before they even knew her name. She hated that feeling so much, it annoyed her to infinity, but she was always too scared to complain.

The black-haired girl knew she stood out; her Chinese face (the only one in the whole school) was a big give away and the fact she was the daughter of a model. But honestly, she was more of a shy-ish gentle girl who tries to be a friend, then a confident can-totally-show-off-their-stuff girl and doesn't care about the "little people", like her mother really was and her older sister pretended to be.

That was the main reason her mother hit her half the time. Whenever she talked about her shyness, her mother would get angry and yell at her, then if she was lucky, only smack her once before leaving her alone. Lan-Fan wasn't much different; however, she only attacked her verbally, no physical attacks were ever made, something about not wanting to hit a fellow female.

Honestly, May wished she was ugly sometimes, just so her mother would disown her and let her be her own person. But no, apparently everyone else believed she would be a fine woman (and model) one day because she had the looks for it at a young age and her delayed puberty attack would make her look even better when it did happen.

But, back to the present moment, she felt like she was in trouble for feeling shy again and she didn't like it one bit. She didn't want people to stare at her, judge her, she just wanted to be left alone, without the people who just want her for her "future fame and fortune" and bragging rights about being "May Chang's best friend as a kid".

The only reason that she trusted that Edward wouldn't do something bad to her, or take advantage of her, was because Alphonse was still there, holding her hand, smiling softly as they all stood in silence while Rio handed Edward the house keys and she unlocked the door.

"Alright, everybody, in we go." The blonde teenager took a step to the side and smiled, gesturing with her arms for her siblings, May and Roy to go first, which they all did.

When everyone was inside, the 15-year-old closed the door and turned around to face everyone, smiling slightly as she offered, "Nina, I got a surprise for you, Rio, Rick and Alphonse in the basement. Why don't you kids go look for it while Roy and I make an afternoon snack?"

Grinning excitedly, the Hohenheim and Chang kids ran for the basement door and down the steps, laughing innocently as they went. Edward made sure to close the door before gesturing for Roy to go into the kitchen with her to talk. The black-head nodded and smiled slightly. That was all the encouragement Edward needed to lead the way and start by grabbing 2 cans of Fanta from the fridge, 2 glasses, placing them on the table and seating herself there, Roy smiling as she offered him one of the cans and glasses.

"So, first I try to kiss you, then you kick my ass for it. After that I get dumped in your basement, you make me breakfast, I strip-tease you, you trust me alone with your siblings while you run off to a police station and now you're offering me a drink as if this is just some casual meeting up of some old friends." Roy chuckled, "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you trusted me."

Edward rolled her eyes and took a sip from her glass, stating, "I trust you enough to let you in my house, not enough to actually take care of my siblings though; they've been on their own for a few hours before because I had to go to a job when my parents aren't around. They're the ones I trust, not you."

"Ouch, that actually hurt, Edward-chan-"

"Don't call me 'chan', you bastard."

"-but I'm willing to let that go over my head if you start explaining to me why you sent the kids off to talk privately with some empty promise. Everything down there is untouched and un-special. Why did you need them to leave to talk to me?"

"…I didn't want them knowing about this without someone who's already had a heads up being there to comfort May. I trust you enough to at least be a shoulder to cry on."

"Why would she need one of those?"

"Because her family life is going to change soon. Change so much that she might end up an orphan since the court won't deem her mother fit enough to care for her and no one knows who her old man is."

"The court? I know you were at the police station, but will a court be necessary? Just what the hell is the reason for it?"

"May is being abused at home."

"…What the hell made you think that?"

"She's scared of her own mother, said mother said she was going to beat her up and according to Alphonse she always wears make up and long things that hide as much skin as possible."

"I can understand the 1st two things, but what about the last two?"

"I interrogated May and she told me she hates make up because wearing it made her feel like her mother and older sister. And though she tried to hide them, I saw hints of scars and bruises on her forearms. And I very much doubt they were put there recently."

"Are you saying that this was going on for a long time, so long and so bad that she cut herself, but was able to make herself stop before it killed her?"

"That's my theory. It's one of the things I presented to the policeman I was talking to as evidence for child abuse. I also told them that she could be using the make up to one: please her mother and two: cover up bruises. Someone should be coming over to interrogate her later, so I have to break the news to May first and I need someone who'll be willing to support her."

"You really think I can be that support for her?"

"I believe so. I know all too well that Alphonse is willing to take a bullet for her, but I think she'll need and turn to more than just her lover for protection, comfort and support. She'll have me and Alphonse, but she'll need you, too. I don't plan on telling Rio or the other kids and I doubt that May even wants them to know. I will have to tell the teachers in her school as well, since she'll need all the help she can get. Roy, I have a feeling she looks up to you somewhat, so just be there for her."

"What if I said 'no'?"

"I would have kicked your stupid ass and done my best to be a big sister to her, all the while plotting how to kill you. As slowly and painfully as possible."

"Damn, you're scary. She isn't even your sister yet and you're all 'You fuck with her, you die' already. She much be special."

"I thought you already knew that, dumb-ass."

"I do. Okay, I'll try my best to be supportive and comforting, though I'm not good at it."

"You don't need to be good at it. You just need to be there for it, by her side, right where she'll need you."

"And I will be."

"Good. That was all I needed to hear. Now, I'm gonna go get her and Alphonse."

"You sure you want your brother to hear this?"

"No, I'd rather he didn't, but May and Alphonse aren't letting go of each other's hands, so I'm guessing that's the way it's gonna stay. I doubt even an army could pull them apart right now."

"Man, you are one weird chick."

"Says the idiot who broke into a house and tried to kiss one of the occupants, who he had never even met before."

"You have a point there."

With a role of the eyes, Edward stood up and walked towards the basement door…

SOB. SOB. SNIFF.

Only to be confronted with a sobbing May and Nina and a gaping Alphonse, Rick and Rio.

"You…" May sobbed, unable to control her voice, "You told the police that my Mom was hitting me, just because I was always wearing make up and long-cloths?"

"Big Sister…" Nina sniffed, too and turned away from Edward, hugging May around her waist.

Edward hesitated, angry with herself for letting the kids hear all of that, especially Nina and May. Sure, May was going to find out and cry about it, but Nina didn't need to know about it and she didn't need to cry over it either. She could see hints of tears in Rio's and Rick's eyes, but rage was also there, especially in Alphonse's eyes.

"Edward…"

May lifted her head and approached Edward, who sat on the ground, cross-legged and opened her arms, stating, "If you need to punch something, hit me. If you need a hug, I'll give you one. Whatever you need, I'll do my best to give it to y-"

The black-haired girl had started crying hysterically and lunged herself into the blonde teenager's arms, sobbing into her shoulder, repeatedly stating, "Thank you, Sister. Thank you, Edward."

Everyone else sniffed slightly, even Roy and they all joined in on the hug, comforting the sobbing girl.

"You don't know how-SNIFF-how long I-I wanted to sa-say something b-but was always too afraid because of what my-my Mom wou-would do to me! I always had to hold it in and be strong, but I think I was just being a coward. Thank you, Edward, thank you!" May cried.

"Hush, hush," Edward softly rubbed the pre-teen's head, "you don't have to be strong anymore, May. You can cry all you want, just know that it doesn't make you weak, okay? You've had to go through so much alone," She trailed off, tightening her grip on the black-haired girl, wishing so desperately in envy that she was in May's place, but refusing to let it show, "but it'll be okay now, May. We're all here for you."

Alphonse nodded and kissed his girlfriend's temple, making her blush and soften her crying a bit, but she smiled and through her arms around his neck, pulling him down for a full on kiss on the lips, while Alphonse stared in surprise, before closing his eyes and placing his arms around his girlfriend's waist, allowing the moment to take a hold of him.

The no longer sobbing Nina covered her eyes in embarrassment, as did Rio and Rick while Edward giggled softly at the display of affection and Roy wolf whistled, which made the blonde teenager elbow him in the side. Roy grunted and glared at Edward mockingly, but the blonde only whistled innocently while Nina, Rio and Rick giggled.

Things weren't going to be easy for May, not for a while, but after the storm, things were going to be okay again.

" _In fact,_ " May thought as she slowly broke away from the kiss and turned to face her new family, all of them smiling at her and Alphonse. May smiled back at them and turned her head to Alphonse, who smiled at her lovingly, lowering his head for another kiss, which May sunk into with her thoughts, " _they'll be even better._ "

Edward was so happy May had finally been saved from the solitude of her mother's and (possibly older sister's) abuse and now there were only two more rescue missions to go:

1: Saving Lan-Fan, her older sister.

2: And saving her, Edward, before things went too far. Actually, scratch that, they had already gone too far, so now all she was hoping was that her little siblings wouldn't have to deal with it.

Suddenly, Roy had taken a radio out of thin air and turned it on, yelling, "I think it's time we celebrated!"

With that, music and words filled the air and it was just what she needed to hear.

 _Sometimes I feel so wronged  
Like I've been held down  
I feel my heart, like a rock, it's sinking  
These days can get so dark  
Like an eclipse in the sky  
But I can rise above I can find the light_

 _I can run, I can change all the answers_  
 _Or what I hope they'd be_

 _I won't stop, I won't let my own questions_  
 _Fade away in my dreams_

 _Don't fade away_

 _We won't fall to our knees_  
 _We are the one true hope_  
 _So give me an answer_  
 _Are you in? Are you out?_  
 _We are the one true hope_  
 _So give me an answer_

 _We all fall, crawl out of the fear you're in_  
 _Don't give up_  
 _We won't fall to our knees_  
 _We are the one true hope_  
 _So give me an answer whoa whoa_  
 _So give me an answer now whoa whoa_  
 _Give me an answer_

 _Stand up, you have a voice to be heard_  
 _You're worth more than words_  
 _Don't let your fire burn out_  
 _Your flame won't be lit again when your candles burnt at both ends_  
 _And there's nothing left_

 _You can change_  
 _You can become selfless_  
 _You're not set in stone_

 _You will wade through mistakes that we all make_  
 _But just hold on_

 _Don't fade away (hold on)_

 _We won't fall to our knees_  
 _We are the one true hope_  
 _So give me an answer_  
 _Are you in? Are you out?_  
 _We are the one true hope_  
 _So give me an answer_

 _We all fall, crawl out of the fear you're in_  
 _Don't give up_  
 _We won't fall to our knees_  
 _We are the one true hope_  
 _So give me an answer_

 _We are the one true hope (whoa)_  
 _So are you with me (whoa)_  
 _Or will you fall to your knees? (whoa)_

 _We are the one true hope (whoa)_  
 _So are you with me (whoa)_  
 _Or will you fall to your knees? (whoa)_

 _We are the one true hope_  
 _We are the one true hope_

 _We won't fall to our knees_  
 _We are the one true hope_  
 _So give me an answer_  
 _Are you in? Are you out?_  
 _We are the one true hope_  
 _So give me an answer_

 _We all fall, crawl out of the fear you're in_  
 _Don't give up_  
 _We won't fall to our knees_  
 _We are the one true hope_  
 _So give me an answer whoa whoa_  
 _Give me an answer now whoa whoa_  
 _Give me an answer_

Hope by We Came As Romans was a song Edward had needed to hear for a while, now. And she was sure May had needed to hear it, too. For the roots of hope were taking hold now and they weren't gonna take them down now.


	5. Chapter 4: Old Friends

Placing her black ruck sack on the single person desk, Edward silently pulled her school equipment out of it while listening to the random gossip happening around her.

"Hey, did you hear? We're getting a new student and it's a boy!"

"Seriously?! Oh, I hope he's hot, I am in just the right mood for dating."

"Don't get too excited. Either of the Queens will snatch him up before you even get the chance to."

"You mean Queen Bee Lan-Fan and Ice Queen Edward? Pl-ease, the bitch isn't into guys or girls, she's a total loner and we both know that Lan-Fan isn't interested unless they'd get her a good carrier."

"But that doesn't change the fact they're beautiful, smart and have just the right sized boobs and asses."

"Please, her Royal Iciness is about as flat as an 8-year-old, but you're right about Lan-Fan. And she's a model's daughter. Oh, we don't stand a chance, do we?"

"No we don't. You think we should kill off the competition?"

"Don't talk like that around her, she can hear you! She'll use her black magic to turn you into a mouse or something for saying that or worst! A cockroach!"

Edward very much wanted to say that if she was a cockroach then she'd survive if any mass extinctions happened or that it wouldn't be possible because 1: it was human transmutation and 2: she'd only be able to turn her into a creature of equal mass. But, she kept her mouth shut and let those common housewives natter on. What they said about her was none of her business and it would take the enjoyment out of their lives if they had nothing to verbally abuse behind it's back, so she just took her seat and waited for the teacher to come in. Besides, they're idiots if they though her Alchemy was Black Magic.

Luckily, she didn't have to wait long since Mr. Hughes was standing at his usual desk 5 minutes later. Tall and lean, Maes Hughes offsets his sharp uniform with a thin chinstrap of scruffy beard and his jovially spiky hair ending in a characteristic forelock as well as the rectangular spectacles framed in front of his hazel eyes. Though his hair is black, it had a green hue to it which Edward suspected was from dying a few years ago or something like that.

"Hello, my students. How was everyone's weekend? Do you wanna hear about what happened with me and Gracia?" He asked kindly.

A few curt responses filled the air and made him smile, "Well, I hope that everyone has an even better weekend next time. But unfortunately, today is a Monday and that means we're going to have to wait an entire 5 more days before we can enjoy a little brake again. But, back to the matter at hand. We have a new student joining us today, so please be kind to him."

The murmurs from earlier broke out again and this time Edward toned them out and just stared out the window at the mother bird who she saw feeding her newly hatched chicks. She remembered when her own mother would take her and her brother out to help with the shopping. And how she'd by them ice-cream every time one of them did something they were proud off.

"Edward-Chan!"

Hearing the hated nickname from the man she was begging to think of as a stalker, she turned around faster than she believed possible and screamed, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, YOU DUMB-ASS, STALKING BASTARD?! Don't you have school or something to go to?!"

In front of her desk, Roy Mustang laughed casually, dismissively waving his arm around, "Oh, calm down my fellow Otaku, I was just teasing you. You seemed far away and I couldn't resist."

Edward growled and turned away from him, muttering about something he wasn't sure he should know about. Still, he asked, "What was that, Edward, I didn't hear you?"

"I said," The annoyed blonde growled, "'I can't believe that the same idiot who broke into my house and held me at my throat with a knife is now stalking me in school.' Why don't you go back to whatever whole you crawled out of already? You're bloody annoying me."

"Oh dear, it looks like you weren't listening to Mr. Hughes when he said," The brunette got a bit closer to her face with a troll face that made her want to punch him, "that I'm the new kid and you're going to have to be nice to me now. And you'll get to see me every day now."

Edward felt her eye twitching as she growled out a replaying, "What?!"

Roy laughed, "That look on your face is making me laugh, Edward-Chan, stop it!"

"WHAT'S SO FUNNY ABOUT MY FACE, YOU JACKASS!? AND DON'T CALL ME EDWARD-CHAN! IT'S TOO GIRLY, IT DOESN'T SUIT ME!"

"Awww, are you embarrassed about the pet-name I gave you?"

"Pet-name? What do you think I am, your girlfriend or a lower-intellectual creature?!"

"Don't worry, Edward-Chan, by prom I assure you that name will suit you perfectly."

"IF I EVER GO TO PROM IT'LL BE WITH A FLAME THROWER AND A CHAIN SAW SO I CAN DESTROY THE ENTIRE STUPID EVENT!"

"Great! Let me join you and then we can go on a noble quest to kill the shitty-president we have and then I'll get to take his place!"

"Where did you get a dumb-ass idea like that from?!"

"Up my ass. You wanna see it, I think you'll find that there's a few ideas from there that I think you'd really like to try out."

"I DON'T WANNA SEE YOUR ASS, YOU DIRTY PERVERT!"

Roy laughed like Hell and Edward punched him in the stomach in an attempt to shut him up, but all it did was wind him a bit; he just kept laughing. She did it a few more times, but he stood strong, laughing the entire time.

"Ummm, excuse me?"

"CAN'T YOU SEE I'M BUSY HERE?!" Edward growled as she turned to the girl who had interrupted her attacking of the bastard in front of her.

It was Lan-Fan Chang, May's older sister. The popular girl, the Queen Bee who had interrupted and Edward had better people to waist her time on then that bitch. Lan-Fan was an attractive young lady, Edward would give her that much, with her back-length black hair tied back in a bun with the bangs loose and framing her face, dark brown eyes, and a lean, surprisingly muscular and fairly curvaceous figure. She wore black tights, a white skirt, white short-sleeved shirt with red patterns and a black jacket.

"How do you, like, know that hotty over there? And why are you being so mean to him, Mr. Hughes said to be nice to him." Lan-Fan stated.

"Forget trying to reason with her, Lan-Fan, she's Ice Queen Edward; she isn't capable of social interaction without it taking a violent turn." One of her lackeys stated.

"I bet she's using it as an excuse to feel up his six-pack like some closet pervert." The other lackey giggled.

The rest of the class laughed at that, but Edward just glared.

"For your information ladies…" Everyone turned their attention to Roy, who was glaring at the girls as if they just told him they'd killed his best friend as he moved to stand between Edward and the 'ladies'. "Edward and I met when I broke into her house over the weekend."

Everyone gasped at that. Edward growled.

"Idiot, why are you saying that in front of so many people?! You're gonna get a bad reputation and won't make any friends here, you damned fool!" She hissed.

Roy turned to her and took her hand in his, bringing it up for the world to see as he placed a gentle kiss on it. More gasps were heard and Edward felt her face turn bright red at the gesture; she didn't know whether to punch him or slap him, both sounded like good options at this point and yet she didn't want to do either.

"Because," Roy fell to a knee and continued to hold her hand, "despite doing something as dastardly as attempting to steal a kiss from you while you were sleeping and threatening your life with your very own pocket knife, you treated me like a guest; you cooked me food, made me a bed and treated me like an old friend and I will repay that kindness in any way that I can, my lady."

He kissed her hand again and Edward felt her bright red face attempt to turn an even brighter shade of that same color and she felt her throat go dry, so she swallowed. Hard.

"Id-idiot." She muttered as she pulled her hand away from the warmth of his fingers, "You don't owe me anything. Just keep away from me and you won't get hurt; that's all there is to it, so bugger off. And don't call me something I'm not."

Edward turned away from him and towards the window, her face still faintly pink. Roy smiled at her and took the seat beside her, moving the desk so they touched and he was even closer to Edward. She turned her head to glare at him but he just giggled, leaned in to steal a kiss from her nose and pulled back grinning like a fox. Edward's face took on a whole new shade of red.

And before she knew it, she was screaming her head off about something as she chased Roy out of the classroom in into the hallways of the school; her face having an expression that screamed 'Anyone who gets near me will die!' And Roy was laughing the whole time as he continued to flirt over his shoulder with her while the entire school looked at them either as if they were crazy, laughed or were just like "wtf?".

…

At the end of the school day, Edward and Roy are seen in the hallways again, this time things being an awful lot calmer. They had gotten a detention together because of the disturbance they made and for 'ditching' their first period when she had attempted to murder him earlier. And she was still pissed with him.

"You're a total flirting bastard." She said.

"I know." He said.

"I hate you."

"I know."

"I want you to bugger off right now, or you're going to be getting a taste of my metal fist."

"I know."

"Why aren't you running then?"

"Because if staying at your side only costs me a few punches, then I will gladly take it."

"You're a bloody stalker, go follow around Lan-Fan instead; she's got all the things a stalker usually follows someone around for from money to the perfect body she got using said money."

"I don't like plastic. It's all so fake."

"Hate to break it to you, but I have full-metal prognostics; fake limbs because I lost mine."

"Seriously? Cool! No founder you had such a strong grip on me. Oh, and thanks for not punching me with your metal hand back in the classroom."

"It was force of habit that made me not do it, Roy, don't flatter yourself."

"Awww, you're so mean. Maybe if you'd let me call you Edward-Chan, you'd be a little bit nicer to me."

"Shut up you-"

SMACK!

The pair of teens instantly shut up and Edward crept towards the corner of the hallway, Roy right behind her. And when she peered around, Edward had to fight back a gasp.

A girl was almost crying down the hallway, holding her cheek while a boy half-glared/half-cried as he stared at her and a pair of glasses lay cracked on the ground.

The girl had neck length dark brown hair with a fringe that gently covered her forehead, green eyes and pale skin. She was wearing a burgundy shirt, dark grey jeans and burgundy pallet shoes.

The boy had spiky black hair, dark eyes hidden by his own black-framed glasses and skin slightly tanner then the girl's. He was wearing a light blue button up shirt, dark jeans and combat boats.

Edward never got all that close to anyone when her mother was alive, but when she did, she never let them go. But that changed when she moved in with her new 'parents', she distanced herself from them in order to keep them safe from her darkness. These were two of her old friends; Sheska Janith and Kain Fury.

Last time she had checked on them, they were crushing on each other really bad but neither of them could confess their feelings because they were too shy. And now, puppy-faced, innocent Kain had smacked kind-hearted, book-wormy Sheska in the face? Something was horribly wrong.

Kain let his tears fall, said something to Sheska and then ran right past her. Sheska stood there, but then fell to her knees and sobbed into her hands like a heart-broken child.

"What kind of monster could hit a girl like that?" Roy growled, "It's disgusting."

Edward decided to waste time elbowing him later. She ran down the hallway quietly and over to Sheska's broken glasses on the ground. The blonde knelled down, picked them up and walked over to thee sobbing Sheska, holding them out to her.

Eventually recognizing a presence being near her, Sheska uncovered her face (" _Oh my Shinigami._ " Edward though when she saw how red the hand-shaped mark on her old friend's face was) and glanced upwards. Edward waved the glasses slightly so she could see them and Sheska reached for them.

"Thanks." She said as she whipped her eyes and put her glasses back on, "You didn't need to do that-"

"You don't have to believe such talk, Sheska; everyone deserves a bit of kindness every now and then." Edward chuckled, as if saying a secret joke out-loud.

Sheska gasped and stared at Edward as if she saw an alien, "Ed? Is that really you?!"

After nodding softly, Edward made a gesture with her head, chuckling, "Come on; let's get you some cheesecake, my mousy, little friend."

Sheska giggled, "But I'm taller then you, Ed."

A tick mark appeared on the blonde's head, "I'm only going to pretend I didn't hear that because if I get mad at you, then you'll never tell me why the Hell I just saw Kain hit you."

The brunette scratched the back of her head, "You wouldn't take 'no' for an answer even if I refused you."

"Damn straight I wouldn't. But we can talk about it once you've had something to eat. And I'm paying, end of story."

"You're as stubborn as ever, aren't you?"

"Nice to see you didn't forget that bit about me, Mousy-Chan."

"How could I, Eddy-Chan? It was your trademark characteristic."

The two girls laughed softly and after taking her hand, Edward led Sheska out of the school.

"You do realize we have a detention you're going to have to make up with me later, right?" Roy called after the two girls.

Edward gave a back-handed, uncaring wave to the black-haired new boy, "Whatever. I really don't care."

Roy grinned and chased after the girls, "Then I'm coming with you, my lady."

"Don't call me that, Mustang." Edward growled.

"I'll call you whatever I like, Lady Elric." Roy teased.

"Who is this guy, Eddy-Chan?" Sheska asked, glancing between the two curiously.

"No one special, just a stalker." Edward said dismissively.

"Really?"

"Yep. Broke into my house over the weekend."

"So he's the guy I've heard the rumors about!"

"They've spread that fast and you had your ears out of a book enough to hear it? Damn, everyone must have been announcing it over a megaphone."

"Hey, I may get absorbed into a good book easily but that doesn't mean I'm oblivious to the world."

"It sure used to."

Edward laughed as Sheska pouted, but soon enough the brunette was laughing along and Roy just stood there, silent and in the background, happy to see Edward smiling and that this girl who could make the blonde happy wasn't crying anymore.

…

A little while later, at a cafe titled "The Den", if you looked through the window, you would see Sheska, Edward and Roy sitting at one of the tables in the middle of the room, a slice of strawberry cheesecake on each off their plates and a fair-sized cheesecake with a few pieces missing placed between them.

"So, what's with the situation with Kain? I'm guessing a lot happened since I left you guys like that." Edward began, sipping her apple juice in a glass once she was finished speaking.

Sheska stared into her own glass of strawberry and mango juice as she began to tell her tale, "It started a little while after your father took you in."

Though only Roy noticed it, Edward tensed at the mention of the man who she lived with.

"Kain asked me out and I agreed. We've been dating ever since and everything's been so perfect." Sheska's voice took a grim turn for the next bit, "But about 2 months ago, I noticed a change happening to Kain. I didn't think much of it, but when I confronted him about it, he said that I must have been dreaming, so I let it slide."

"What was the change, Sheska?" Edward inquired.

"He started going out real late at night, past midnight when he thought I was asleep-"

"Wait, are you two sharing a room now?"

"Yes. Please don't tell anyone!"

"Calm down, Shes, whatever is said here, stays here. But you were saying?"

"Oh, yes," Sheska cleared her throat a bit and continued, "and he would always come back just as the sun was beginning to rise and he'd always look sick. And in the morning he wouldn't look any better. His face has been getting paler and paler and the rings under his eyes were getting darker and darker-"

Edward cut in, "Like the Panda Hero?"

"Exactly like that!" Sheska exclaimed, worriedly.

Roy looked at the two confused, "Panda Hero?"

"It's a song we used to listen to when we were younger." Edward began her explanation, "I hardly remember the words but it's basically about this female batter who appeared to be taking drugs, living in a junk yard, playing baseball or some other game with a bat and no one liked her." Her face turned panicked as she turned towards Sheska, "Wait, you don't think that Kain might actually-"

Sheska began crying horribly, "I found needles and empty capsules in one of the draws and when I confronted him about it, he begged me to break up with him. He said he was scared and didn't know what he was going to do next and he didn't wanna hurt him. Of course, thought, I couldn't just break up with Kain, I love him, and the next thing I knew, we were fighting and it only ended after he…"

The brunette was unable to speak anymore, she just broke down and placed her face in her hands, sobbing as quietly as she could, despite the trio being the only ones in the cafe besides the staff. The blonde looked like she might cry herself, so the black-haired male went to hug her, but Edward just elbowed him in the side and after breathing a bit harder to get her voice even again, Edward began to speak.

"If this is true then, we need to get help for you two." At the sight of Sheska's panicked eyes, Edward decided to elaborate, "Sheska, I know nothing about drugs except that they're bad, they're addictive and they can turn the greatest people in the world into monsters. But someone can help you both, please just let them-"

"NO! WE CAN'T!" Sheska slammed her hands on the table.

Instantly, Edward and Roy were shut up in shock. Sheska had never raised her voice or slammed anything…

"If, if we do then, then…" Sheska's tears hit the wood, "Kain was threatened by his supplier that he'd, he'd, he'd kill me. Kain wants me to go away from him so I can't be used as a shield when he tries to stop it. He's scared, Edward, I'm scared. I feel so useless and the only thing I can do to help is try to convince him every night he goes off not to leave me, but he does it anyway."

The sight broke Edward's heart into a 100 little pieces and she felt herself want to scream in order to stop herself from crying, but she bit her lip, got up from the chair she was sitting in and sat next to Sheska, pulling the brunette into a hug and rubbing her back in the best way that she could.

Roy glanced between the two girls and Edward glanced towards him and that was the first time he ever saw that emotion in her eyes:

Genuine fear.

…

"What are we gonna do, Roy?" Edward asked as she and Roy walked down the streets toward her house.

After finishing off the cheesecake and joking around a bit to make Sheska feel better, which worked, the two had walked her home and then began heading towards Edward's house. Only once they were around the corner did they bring up the subject.

"I don't know Ed. My Dad used to have a drug addiction problem too, but he and my Mom never told me how they got around it; Hell, I only found out when I accidentally read one of her old diaries." Roy ran a hand through his dis-heaved black hair.

"You think you can read that diary again or confront your Mom about it? We need all the help we can get with solving this problem." Edward suggested.

"As soon as she found out that I had read it, she burned them all and I already tried confronting her about it before, but she just changed the subject, saying that she didn't wanna talk about it."

"Make her talk about it, damn it! I'll do my own research and you do yours."

"Edward, she's my mother, you can't expect me to force her to talk about something she doesn't want to."

"Roy, one of the few people who I could ever call a friend maybe dead in a week if we don't get some sort of insight on what the Hell is going on!"

"Well, if you don't call him a friend now, then he probably isn't that important."

"NOT IMPORTANT?! I ABANDONED MY FRIENDS OF MY OWN FREE WILL, THEY WEREN'T THE ONES WHO ABANDONED ME AND NOW YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT THE PEOPLE I LOVED BUT RAN AWAY FROM AREN'T IMPORTANT?!"

"I'm just saying, if you could leave them just like that, then why are you so worried?"

"They're my friends. But I got scared and left them behind because I thought that it would protect them, but instead one of my friends is now a drug addict and another of my friends might be contemplating suicide right now."

"Hold on a minute, Ed, I think you're exaggerating."

"Mustang, shut up and let me fucking speak! Kain and Sheska have known each other since one day after they were born. They have the same birthday, their mothers became friends in the hospital and the two have known each other for as long as they've been alive. How would you feel if the one thing that was always there since the day you were born suddenly died on you when you needed it, huh? Sheska has been crazy about Kain for as long as I've known the two and she's already lost her mother and father due to sickness, I am not about to let her kill herself at Kain's grave; not so long as I'm still breathing. So, if you don't actually give a fuck about my friends, then piss off, I don't need a bastard's help."

"Calm down, Ed, I never said that I wasn't going to help."

"You bloody well made it look that way."

"Look, I'll see what I can do. I can't promise anything, but I'll try if it means that much to you."

Edward let a sigh escape her mouth as she forced herself to calm down, "Thank you. I'm sorry I'm screaming like a diva, I just…"

Was she ready to tell him all her bloody secrets? Why the Hell did Roy make her just want to spill about every horror in her life, cry about it and be hugged by him?

"I'm listening, Ed." Roy stopped walking and the two sat on the sidewalk.

The blonde sighed once more and just let it out, "I know how it feels to lose your mother and I never had a father to care about."

The black-haired boy looked at her, "But I thought you were living with your Dad and Step-Mom, based on what your siblings told me."

"He's my father by blood, but he never acted like a Dad. Too busy with work and it's the same with Sabrina. Plus, he had divorced my mother a few months after Alphonse was born, though he doesn't know that, so I have practically no memories of him at all. But back to my Mom's death." Edward took a breath and just decided to screw her secrets, it's way too much effort to hide it with him for some reason, "My mother, Trisha Elric, she did her best to be a good Mom and Dad to me and Alphonse. Even though she had to work hard to look after us, she always had an afternoon to spare a game or movie with us, or a little extra room in her bed whenever one of us had nightmares. But on my 11th birthday, when we were on our way to the surprise party my Mom and my friends' Mom set up, there was a car accident. Alphonse lost his memory, I lost my limbs and my Mom lost her life."

"You're kidding." Roy gasped.

Edward shook her head, grateful to her bangs that his her eyes from his piercing view, "No joke, Mustang. My Mom died on the day we were supposed to celebrate my birth, I nearly died and in a way, Alphonse died to. Over time, he got his memories back, but until then he didn't even know his own name, I had to remind him of it all the time. I was offered normal prosthesis by a pair of family friends who specialized in that sort of thing, but I asked for full-metal ones so I would live as independently as possible and be able to help get Al back on his feet, too. I remembered the surgery, they didn't have any knock-out stuff, but I didn't care, I wanted to get on with it, even if it was painful."

"You got them fitted when you were awake?!" The boy looked at her as if she were crazy.

She nodded, "They knew I wouldn't wait for the gas, I might have tried to do it myself if Winry and Granny Pinako weren't there and willing to do it. The surgery hurt worst then Hell, but it was nothing compared to the pain Alphonse must have gone through in the crash or the horrible things he saw that made him want to forget."

All was silent as Edward let the information sink in. She wouldn't blame Roy for being shocked, he probably had the best life possible, he'd probably never even heard of people having to deal with that kind of Hell.

Next thing she knew, she was being hugged by the black-haired boy.

"What the?! Get off me, Roy, I don't need your damn pity! I said get off!" The blonde growled as she punched his chest.

But he only tightened his grip on her and berried his face in her hair, "I'm sorry."

She huffed, "You will be sorry if you don't let go of me right now!"

"I meant about your past. I'm sorry. You didn't have to tell me anything."

"Oh get over it already. People have had worst, I know that, you don't need to feel pity for me. I'm fine."

"Then what are those?"

Roy pointed at her cheeks it was then that Edward noticed a tiny tear had slipped past and she was choking on a sob. Growling, Edward head-butted Roy and stood up.

"OW!" The boy rubbed his forehead, griming.

"I'm not crying, you jackass!" The girl turned her head and showed off her face, no tears what so ever anywhere on her face, but it was flushed bright enough for her to appear like she had been crying, "My hair just got in my eyes, that's all!"

After that little yelling fit, Edward stormed down the sidewalk towards her home, muttering about 'damn boys and their assumption of when they have a girl in their arms, she's putty in their hands'. Roy watched her walk away, a new respect for the blonde being seen in his eyes as he also turned and walked towards his own house.

Both with the intention of not sleeping that night until they had a plan.

…

The next morning, once everyone was in school, Edward met Roy by his locker.

"Well? Any ideas?" The blonde asked as she casually gathered her things from her locker.

"I do have one, but it's pretty corny." Roy stated.

"If you're willing to swallow your pride to help me with it, I don't care."

"Okay. Here's what my Mom said she did to get my Dad to snap out of it; she wrote him a song and performed it in front of their entire high school, from the Staff to the Students."

"You're kidding, right? There is no way we'd be able to convince the staff to let us do something like that so suddenly. And by the time we do get permission to, Kain might already be dead."

"Well, we could do something easier."

"What else have you got planned?"

"We write a song, hack into the school's computer system, play it at lunch time, loud enough for everyone to hear within a 3 miles radius of the school and hope we don't get kicked out for it."

"You mean, if we don't get caught for doing it."

"You're actually thinking of doing that one?"

"Kain was a good friend and so was Sheska. I'd eat nails for a month and drink milk for a year if that's what it took to save them from death."

"Holy shit, you're serious about that aren't you?"

"Why would I joke at a time like this, Mustang? My friends need me and I'm not gonna back out on them. Not again."

"Well then, I guess we've got a lot of work ahead of us, don't we?"

"Damn straight. You know how to play any instruments?"

"My sisters know how to play pretty much every and any instrument you put in front of them."

"You have sisters?"

"Yeah, 11, we all have the same foster mother."

"You're an orphan?"

"Was. That foster mother I mentioned is also my ante."

"I see. But back to the matter at hand, will they be willing to play whatever song we write?"

"All they'll need is the lyrics and then they'll be able to handle the music. I already talked to them about it and they said they'll be waiting at Madam Christmas' bar for us after school."

"Aren't we under age? And isn't that a Hostess Bar?"

"No, that's just a cover. Madam Christmas is our foster mother's stage name. She's really Chris Mustang."

"Cool. Will they be okay with having me there?"

"Of course. They'll love you."

"Great, glad that's sorted. What are we gonna do about Sheska being used as a hostage, though?"

"I have an old friend, her name's Riza Hawkeye. She's practically a nanny most of the time, but she damn well knows how to shoot a gun, it's scary how accurate her aim is, too. I was thinking of calling her over from my home town to take care of Sheska while Kain sorts this shit out."

"A body guard, huh? I guess that'll work. Remind me to thank you and Riza when this shit's over."

"It's a done deal."

"Later then. We have different first periods, so don't even try to follow me."

"Can I still watch you as you leave?"

"No, because you'll stare at my ass like the big, fat, pervert that you are."

"Looks like you saw through my disguise, as usual."

Edward huffed, grabbed her bag and headed off to her first class as casual as ever while Roy did the same. They weren't gonna make a scene in school again, not after the show they had put on yesterday. They still had that detention they missed to catch up on, too.

Oh well. They'd worry about that shit once they were sure Kain wasn't gonna be a drug addict anymore.

…

Lunch time, on Friday that week, Sheska and Kain sat at a table in the cafeteria, both practically ignoring each other as best as they could. Kain's face was almost the same color as a panda's and Sheska's glasses were still cracked; she hadn't replaced them yet.

On the table next to them, a young woman with a moderately muscular and curvaceous build, blonde hair that reached the middle of her back and chocolate brown eyes watched them. She wore her hair fastened up in the back with a clip barrette, in a style that resembled a bird's tail. Her bangs fall in a hawk's wing pattern from right to left, partially obscuring her left eye. She was wearing silver stud earrings, a black short-sleeved V-neck shirt, blue elbow-length jacket, black jeans, a leather belt and black combat boats. This was Roy's friend, Riza Hawkeye.

Suddenly, a horrible screeching sound came from over the intercom and made everyone shut up, cover their eyes and yowl.

" **Hello? Is this bloody thing on?** " A voice most recognized came over the intercom.

" **I think it is, Ed. Is mine working?** " A second voice that not too many people knew said.

" **Oh yeah, I think we're good to go. Anyway, hello to everyone who's listening.** " The first voice spoke.

" **I'm the new kid, Roy Mustang and this is my best friend, Edward Elric here with me and we're gonna be singing a song for you lot.** " The other voice declared.

" **It's called Sleepless Nights AKA Never Let Her Go and is dedicated to two friends of mine who needed to hear something like this.** " Edward stated.

Sheska's and Kain's attention was piqued by the declaration.

" **We wrote it ourselves and my dearest sisters played the music for this, so on a count of 3, we'll be ready to rock and roll.** " Roy stated.

" **We can natter on like grannies later, Mustang. 3, 2, 1, go!** " Edward yelled.

A guitar solo struck up, as did Edward's voice.

" ** _Ohhhhh…  
Ohhhhh…_**"

Then Roy took over as two more guitars added to the solo.

" ** _Another sleepless night  
I'm still starin' at the ceiling  
I can hear him fighting  
With her for no good reason_**"

Edward interrupted just as the drums came in.

" ** _Will this ever end?  
Will this house be a home again?  
If I had my way  
I'd corner him and say_**"

With this, they sang together.

" ** _Put yourself in her position  
All she needs is recognition  
Love's not enough when you say it  
Don't you know you've gotta mean it_**"

Roy took the lead here.

" ** _Screwing up the best thing ever  
Is something you'll regret forever_**  
 ** _Another day goes by and nothing changed  
He's still the same_**"

Edward's voice took on a broken and sympathetic tone for the next verse.

" ** _I can hear her cryin  
Thinking she's the one to blame_**"

Roy stole Edward's previous lines and sang as best as he could with them.

" ** _Will this ever end?  
Will this house be a home again?  
If I had my way  
I'd corner him and say_**"

The two of them and 2 back up female voices echoed with their own for this one.

" ** _Put yourself in her position  
All she needs is recognition  
Loves not enough when you say it  
Don't you know you gotta mean it?  
Screwing up the best thing ever  
Is something you'll regret forever  
Take her and make sure she feels it  
Let her know you'll never let her go_**"

The back up voices took over this one after a epic guitar solo.

" ** _Ohhhh…_** "

Roy sang this part of the song with a warning tone.

" ** _Screwing up the best thing ever  
Is something you'll regret forever  
Another sleepless night and nothing changed  
He's still the same_**"

Edward sang with a even more dangerous warning tone here.

" ** _Another stupid fight and someone's gotta say_** "

Roy and Edward sang this bit together once more.

" ** _Put yourself in her position  
All she needs is recognition  
Loves not enough when you say it  
Don't you know you gotta mean it?_**  
 ** _Screwing up the best thing ever_** "

The back up singers took this one.

" ** _Is something you'll regret forever_** "

Edward and Roy took over again.

" ** _Take her and make sure she feels it  
Let her know you'll never let her go_**"

Roy sang this bit with a commanding tone.

" ** _Never let her go_** "

Edward's voice was defiant and strong for this part.

" ** _No, no, no_** "

The duo sang this part just to finish it off right on time with the music.

" ** _Put yourself in her position  
All she needs is recognition  
Take her and make sure she feels it  
Let her know you'll never let her go_**"

As soon as the applaud died down, Edward spoke up. " **The guy in this song ended up losing his wife and kid because his drug addiction made him short-tempered, violent and abusive. Do yourself a favor and don't be stupid like this ass. Don't get into drugs and if you already are, get the Hell out before they really do ruin your life.** "

Roy took over the microphone again, " **I would like to thank all of you for listening and I hope that the people we were singing this for will be able to get things sorted out now. Bye.** "

" **Later.** " Edward's voice followed.

The intercom turned off and everyone else went back to chatting, now though it was about the song, who it could have been dedicated to, and how the Hell had Ice Queen Edward made the new guy call her his friend.

But Sheska and Kain didn't just sit there. They stopped trying to ignore each other and stood up at the same time, staring at each other. Riza didn't take her eyes off them for a second.

"Sheska, I'd like to borrow your phone, please." Kain requested, holding out his hand.

"What for, Kain?" Sheska asked as she bright it out of her pocket and handed it over to him.

"I'm calling the cops."

"Really?"

"It's time I stopped being such a woos and get rid of the guy who's been turning me into a monster. Sheska, I know I could never make up for those horrible things I said and did to you, but I swear to God, I won't let them happen again."

Sheska had tears in her eyes and nodded, "And I won't let you get into trouble like that ever again, Kain. I love you."

Kain smiled at Sheska, "I love you too," and then went back to the phone, speaking to whoever was on the other line about the problem he had and about what's been going on.

Riza smiled from the side-lines and took a sip from her water bottle as she kept her eyes peeled, just encase. Sheska whipped at her eyes and hugged Kain, feeling wrap one of arms around her and after such a long time, she could finally say it honestly;

She felt safe with Kain again. And it was all thanks to Edward and Roy.

…

In the teachers' lounge, Edward and Roy laughed as they helped his foster sisters back up and leave before the teachers got there.

"How much detention do you think we're going to be going through?" Edward asked.

"I don't know, a month's worth?" Roy asked.

"Totally worth it. How do you think are reputations are going to change?"

"Who gives a damn about that?"

"Not me!"

The two laughed even harder when they heard banging on the door, "Mrs. Elric and Mr. Mustang, I suggest you open this door right now, or you will be in serious trouble!"

"Ed, you wanna say something that will get you in trouble?" Roy asked.

"Only if you say it with me, I might lose my nerve if you're not willing to help me out." Edward suggested.

With a nod, the two turned to the door just as the last of Roy's foster sisters left with their instruments and yelled, "Kiss my ass, teach, no one cares what you say!"

The two were still laughing as they were assigned 2 months' worth of detention. Oh well, totally worth it.


	6. Chapter 5: Rising Suspicion

In the forest behind her school, the sound of a bow being released filled the dark night and Edward watched as the arrow she shot hit the boarder-lines of the center of her hand-drawn target. Muttering a curse, Edward pulled another arrow out from the sack on her back and took more careful aim.

"Come and hit the mark." She muttered.

The blonde brought the bow string as far back as it would go and released. This time, the arrow hit a bit closer to the center then the last arrow, but not dead center just yet.

"Damn it." Edward muttered, sitting on the ground and placing her bow at her side.

"That was a pretty good shot, Mrs. Elric."

Yelping in shock at the voice, Edward turned around to glare the person who had spoken to her, "Mr. Hughes, you scared me to death!"

Her homeroom and PE teacher laughed, "We're not at school, Mrs. Elric, why are you still addressing me as Mr. Hughes?"

The blonde glared, "Because you're calling me 'Mrs. Elric', as if I'm in trouble or something."

"I'm afraid you are, actually." The green-haired man stated, "It's against school rules for students to be on campus at night, break into the school, steal PE equipment and then use it for their own leisure on the school grounds. Why not just join the Archery Club instead of going to all this trouble?"

"My step-mother told me it isn't lady like to do archery and forbid me from joining the club, that's why." Edward sighed, "And as much as I would love to pull the 'Rebellious Teenager' card on that ugly hag, if I plan on keeping my room instead of it being used for the 20 pet cats my little brother Alphonse wants to adopt, I'm gonna have to just keep my trap shut and do archery when the teachers won't be obliged to tell her that her little Princess wants to be a Warrior."

"That's rough, Mrs. Elric, that really is but," Maes adjusted his glasses as he spoke next, "it's still against school rules to use the school's equipment without a teacher's permission."

The blonde sighed and went over to collect the arrows, "I know. That's why I've been practicing making a bow of my own in D+T along with arrows so I won't get in trouble for that."

"You know," The dark-haired man called, "if it bother's your step-mother that much and it bothers you that much, then she doesn't have to know. I can make sure that none of the teachers ever mention archery to her. Or you could join another sports club."

"The closest thing to sports that hag would let me do is dancing," Edward shivered at the thought, "and I **hate** dancing, that's why she'd let me do it."

"You make it sound like she wants you to suffer." Maes pipped in.

"She does." The teenager insisted as she tugged the last arrow out of her target board, "She hates me. I have no idea what I did, but she just hates me. Every day, I wake up and have to be the mother around the house because she'd too busy wondering about work and some client she's interested in and my Dad is too busy with his own paper work to care what she thinks of her clients."

"Ouch," The adult winced in sympathy, "sounds like you have a bit of Child Neglect going on in your house."

"It's not Child Neglect if they're working so my siblings can have the money to go to school," Edward stated, "plus, I don't like either of them so the less interaction, the better."

"You know, Mrs. Elric," Maes said, "it's not very healthy for a girl your age to despise her guardians so much."

"Yeah, well, that's my problem and I'll deal with it my way." The blonde said as she was handed the bow by Maes, "Thanks."

"No problem." The dark-haired man grinned at Edward, making her role her eyes, "Mrs. Elric, you do realize that I might have to report you to the rest of the staff for doing this for… how many nights?"

"Half a month since the start of this school year." Edward answered.

"Seriously?" Maes questioned, "How come no one's noticed yet?"

"No idea. But I get the point, Mr; I used school equipment without permission, I'm going to get punished for it, just please tell me what I'll most likely have to do as punishment, please."

"Join one of the sports clubs."

The blonde stopped to do a double take, "I'm sorry, but didn't you hear me when I told you what my step-mother would do to me if I did that?"

The dark-haired man grinned, "Didn't I tell you that I'd make sure she wouldn't find out if you were willing to go through with it? Come on, Mrs. Elric, joining a school club might better your reputation around here a bit."

"Maybe I don't want a better reputation," Edward suggested, stubbornly, "Maybe I want everyone to think I'm a heartless bitch who can use black magic for evil purposes."

"Or maybe," Maes suggested, cheekily, "you're secretly wishing for someone to get past that little mask you put on and see the little girl underneath who'd love a go at archery."

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING LITTLE?!" The blonde exploded.

The dark-haired man chuckled, "Or, I could tell the staff what I saw and get you kicked out of school."

Grumbling to herself, Edward ignored her teacher and continued walking to the PE department. She put away the equipment Maes claimed she stole and sighed.

"Fine, I'll join a club, just make sure that my step-mom never finds out, or I am gonna get kicked out of my own house." Edward gave in.

"Don't worry, it'll be a secret, I'm good with those," Maes grinned, "you just tell me what club you'd like to be in and I'll be there as soon as possible."

"Yeah, yeah," The blonde dismissively waved the back of her hand at her teacher, "later Mr. Hughes."

"Bye-Bye, Mrs. Elric! Take care!" The dark-haired man waved.

Edward sighed but then stopped and turned around, "How come you were even here at all, tonight, sir?"

Maes got a slightly far away and sad look in his eyes as he answered, "Just reminiscing."

Though a bit confused, the blonde shrugged and went on her way. It's not like it was any of her business, she had just been a bit curious as to why anyone (besides her) would come to school/work at 12:30 at night.

"Later, Mr. Hughes." Edward muttered.

She grabbed her bike she had rode there (a silver one decorated with several Anime-based stickers that she and her siblings had decorated when she first got it), hopped on and rode away in the dark night.

"Be careful, Mrs. Elric!" Maes yelled.

"I will, Mr. Hughes! Good night!" Edward called over her shoulder.

Maes lowered the arm he had been waving a sighed slightly, "Good night to you to, Edward."

With that, the old man turned and went back on his way while the young woman rode her bike as fast as she could while still being safe.

…

The next day, Edward walked into school with Roy, Riza, Kain and Sheska at her side. They were currently discussing the idea of which sports club for Edward to join up at since she had asked for their input.

After calling the police, Kain told them everything that had been going on and was getting some help. The person who had sold him the stuff, who turned out to be a senior student at the school named Yoki, was behind bars where he belonged and all the stuff had been disposed of properly. Kain and Sheska had gotten rid of all the needles and capsules in the house and though he was still feeling urges to take the stuff, Sheska and his therapist were able to talk him out of it. Kain was slowly going back to having a normal human face instead of a panda's, too, much to both his and Sheska's thankfulness.

And now, everything was pretty sweet. In fact, things were better than before because they had Edward back and she had brought with her a two more people to welcome into their little gang of child-hood/teen-hood friends. But, back to the moment at hand.

"Golf if definitely out," Sheska stated, "I know you used to think that the sport was boring and you never had the patience to even watch a game, let alone play it."

"True." Edward sighed.

"You could try Rugby or American Football, or whatever it's called." Kain suggested, "A tough sport like that would suit you."

"I'm sorry, Kain," Edward began, "but I really don't plan on joining a club about one of the worst named games in history. Seriously, where does the 'Ball' part come into the game? Because all I ever see on that field are a bunch of overly confident jackass using their big, fat egos to shove each other about in hopes of proving their worth to each other and themselves."

"You have a point, Ed." Riza agreed, "Personally, I don't really know what kind of sports you like, so I'm not much help, sorry."

Edward sighed, smiling slightly, "No worries, Riza, I don't actually like watching a lot of sports much."

"Which ones do you like playing, then?" Roy questioned.

Edward held up her hand as she began to list them on her fingers, "I like archery, running, gymnastics, kick-boxing and long-jump, but I don't know if any of those could be considered a sport."

"Why not Football, or Soccer, or whatever you call it?" Kain suggested.

"You know," Edward began, a smile tugging at her lips, "I think I just might be able to enjoy that. Thanks, Kain, I'll give it a shot."

"Awww," Roy complained, "but seeing you in a gymnastics' uniform would have been so hot."

"Keep it up, Mustang," Edward growled, "my metal fist is just waiting for a good excuse to punch your sorry face in. And I don't think my iron leg would mind kicking you in a certain place, either."

"Edward, please refrain from threatening Roy." Riza requested, reaching for the back of her belt where everyone knew she kept her twin pistols.

Edward sighed and muttered, "Whatever, he'll get his eventually."

"Not with you, it looks like." Roy whimpered.

"Shut up already, you horny jackass." Edward growled as she punched said 'jackass' in the arm with her flesh hand.

Riza, Kain and Sheska chuckled as the banter continued on between the two, the brunette taking a tighter hold of her boyfriend's hand, who intern tightened his own hold on Sheska's hand. Riza smiled at the sight, trying to fight a knowing smirk of her lips as she watched Roy being so close to someone who wasn't her.

Roy hardly ever got close to anyone like that. He never argued with a woman before in front of her. Not one who would just scold herself and say how wrong they were while agreeing with him the minute he said that he disagreed with them. Edward was rebellious and fought against Roy's usual Player charm for her beliefs and Riza found herself loving that trait in the girl; it allowed Roy a chance to let his walls down and be himself instead of his stage name: The Wild Mustang; King of All Players.

BRING!

The bell's ringing signaled the start of the day and so, everyone part ways since they all had different morning class. And Edward needed to figure out how to sign up for the Football Team.

…

A few hours after school on Friday, we find Edward on the school field, kicking a black and white football between her metal and flesh feet. She had changed into the Girls Football Team's Uniform, which consisted of a black skort (a skirt with shorts underneath), black trainers, knee-length black socks, a collared, short-sleeved red, a red bandanna around her left arm and black shirt. She had been uncomfortable with the uniform at first, since it showed she had Automail, but luckily Mr. Hughes had some Automail coverings; so even though the coverings were a shade paler then her skin, it was still believable for them to be flesh.

One of the girls, Winry Rockbell, came running along beside Edward, calling "Edward, pass it to me!"

Edward grinned as she sized up her old female friend and Automail Mechanic. Winry was an attractive young woman with long, light blonde (almost lemon colored) hair and sky-blue eyes. She had a petite, girlish figure and is slightly taller than Edward (much to the golden-haired girl's annoyance). She was wearing her hair in a long ponytail tied high in back, while leaving a long lock of hair on either side of her face and her bangs falling casually from right to left across her forehead. She had her ears pierced in an avant-garde style, with two identical pairs of hoop earrings on each earlobe and an additional two cuff studs worn vertically on her right ear, above the others (which Ed and Al had bought for her on her birthday the year after their parents deaths). She was wearing the same uniform as Edward.

"You sure you can candle it, Automail Freak?!" Edward teased.

Winry sent her a challenging glare/grin, "Hand it over you Alchemy Freak!"

Taking that as a signal to go for it, Edward gave the ball the hardest kick she could towards the football net, where Winry was already sprinting to get it while another one of the girls, one with a white bandanna on her arm, went to intercept her. But Winry got there first and with a header, the ball was in the net and the whistle was blown by Mr. Hughes.

"And that's it!" He called, "You girls have time to take a shower and then I'm afraid I'm gonna have to send you all home then."

Sighing in happiness to be able to get the sweat off their bodies, the rest of the team went into the changing rooms while Edward and Winry head for the benches, grabbing their water bottles and taking long chugs of it.

As it turned out, when Edward had gone to sign up for the team on Monday, she had found Winry there as well. The two girls were shocked to see each other since they went to different schools, but after Winry explained she had been transferred to the class next door to Edward's, she finally remembered hearing some rumors of a new girl who looked like she could be Riza's little sister; and in Ed's opinion, Winry definitely looked the part.

After signing up together, Edward had introduced her Mechanic to her friends at lunch time and once that was over and done with, it was time for the last class before football practice/end of the school day, so the girls agreed to meet each other at the cafeteria so they could walk to the changing rooms together.

As the two chatted idly, Edward saw from the corner of her eye Mr. Hughes approaching them, so she beckoned for Winry to turn her attention to their teacher.

"That was some wonderfully executed teamwork out there, girls, I'm proud of you both for catching up so suddenly." Maes complimented to the two.

Edward shrugged slightly, "It was easy, sir, no need for comments."

Winry giggled slightly, "Thank you very much sir. Ignore Ed, though, she's just being modest."

Maes chuckled, "Well, either way, you two did great out there and I'm glad you're gonna be on the team this year."

While Edward shrugged slightly and took another gulp of her water, Winry nodded in thanks and had some water of her own.

When she was finished with her drink, Edward reached into her ruck sack and pulled out another water bottle.

"Hey, teach!" She yelled.

Maes, who had turned around to the field to begin clean up, turned back toward Edward who threw him the water bottle. He looked at it in slight puzzlement as Edward got up and walked over to the field.

"I'm gonna practice some more and I imagine that screaming at us girls all day got you a dry throat, so there." She commented offhandedly and she ran past him.

Maes and Winry watched in shock as the golden haired girl went to the net where the ball was and started practicing some dribbling with the ball again. The two turned to each other.

"I can't believe she's doing it again." Winry stated.

"Me either." Maes agreed and took a sip of the water bottle Edward had give him.

Football Practice was after school every other day and Edward had gone out of her way to make sure to spend at least an extra hour after the rest of the girls had left to practice some more. Which sorta forced Maes to stay outside or in the hall (depending on the weather for practice) to do the paperwork he left for after practice lying on his desk in order to keep an eye on Edward and get said work done on time.

Winry packed up her empty (and reusable) water bottles and called, "I'm gonna leave too, sir. Bye!" as she headed for the changing rooms for a quick shower and to change back into her regular cloths which considered of black short boats, a black mini-skirt, white sleeveless shirt and black leather jacket.

Maes nodded to her and placed the water bottle on the bench, "Have a good day, Mrs. Rockbell!"

"I will!" He heard her call faintly.

The man smiled and turned towards where Edward was dribbling the ball on the field, heading towards him. She stopped just in front of him to practice bouncing the ball on her foot.

"I'm gonna go and get my paperwork, okay Mrs. Elric?" He stated.

"Sure, you go ahead and do that sir, I'll be here, I promise." Edward said uncaring-ly as she concentrated on the ball on her foot.

Maes nodded and hurriedly walked away, heading for the school building.

…

When Edward was sure Maes wasn't there anymore, she collapsed onto her back. The golden haired girl panted hard and whipped at her sweaty forehead and cheeks. And when she pulled her hands away, she revealed to the world her flushed checks (flushed with fever) and the pale make up that came off on her hands.

Though Edward had been very reluctant to admit it, she had woken up with a fever and had a hard time during school today. Whenever someone called her out on it, she went with the excuse of skipping breakfast because she slept in and people seemed to except it. Before football practice that day, since she wanted to keep the sickness away from the kids, but didn't want to leave them alone she asked Roy to keep an eye on them for her.

She didn't know why she asked him of all people to do it, probably because her siblings (and May who was staying with them) seemed to like him and because she was sick; meaning her mind wasn't working right. She hadn't intended to be so exhorted from some simple practicing, it was just some dribbling the ball and passing it to other players; she shouldn't have been this tired, even if she was sick.

"Maybe," Edward panted to herself out loud, "it couldn't hurt to just lie here for a few seconds."

She didn't like showing weakness in front of other people, especially those older then her (that was why she waited for Maes to leave). Edward was strong and she damn well knew that-she just wished that other people could see past her gender and see that for themselves. Though she could never tell anyone about her experiences she had and was continuing to have, she was more mature then other people her age and often found it impossible to connect with them. But that didn't mean that she didn't want connections.

Edward, secretly, wanted more friends or someone to look up to or something! So what if the entire school though she was the heartless Ice Queen with 100% marks on all the tests and abandoned her friends in primary school because she no longer had interest in a social life! So what?! She was a human; they are sociable creatures by nature, no matter what kind of lives they led.

Edward was tired of pulling off that stupid title; she wanted friends, but like her "father" always said, she couldn't have everything. Dante didn't want her having any friends encase they ever came over during one of their little games and Van said he would have any friends she made murdered. And she knew he could get away with it; he was practically the most powerful man in Amestris besides the Führer with all of his military and business connections.

She was also tired of being strong; Edward had to get up in the morning every day and tell herself that she had to keep living in order to protect her little brothers and sister. The blonde would feel guilty for an entire forever if any of them ever went through what she did. But that's why she would ever let that happen. However, that would never change the fact that Edward was just human. Her skin wasn't as hard as diamonds, she didn't have nerves made of steel; she was just human. She should be allowed to be week every once in a while.

And with those thoughts in mind, Edward closed her eyes, thinking of blinking away the tears of frustration in the corners of her eyes but found that she didn't have the strength, nor the will, to open them again.

…

"Sorry it took so long for me to get back, Mrs. Elric!" Maes called as he ran over with a pile of papers in his hand, "You see, I thought that I lost my key, but it turned out it was actually in… my…"

He stopped talking the second his eyes landed on the sight before him; a flushed and panting Edward who was sleeping on the grass with a football at her feet in the exact same spot he had last seen her in.

"EDWARD!" Maes yelled, throwing the papers away and running over to his student.

When he arrived at her side, he gently lifted her up by placing his left arm under her shoulders and supporting her body with his left shoulder. He placed the black of his right hand on her forehead to check her temperature and he physically felt all the color drain from his face.

"Oh dear God, you're burning up like crazy!" He muttered.

The teacher lifted his student into his arms (" _Holy shit, is she eating enough?!_ " He wondered when he noticed that despite the Automail, she didn't feel all that heavy) and started heading, as calmly as he could for the parking lot where his car was waiting; paper work forgotten and ignored.

When he placed her in the car, he took his cell phone out of his pocket and after a few taps and buckling both himself and Edward up safely, he placed the phone to his ear, waiting for a voice to respond.

Eventually, the one he had called did, " **Hughes residents, Gracia speaking. How can I help you?** "

"Hey, Gracia, it's me." Maes chuckled.

" **Oh, Maes dear, it's so good to hear from you. How are you and the kids doing?** "

"That's actually why I called, honey."

" **What's wrong, Maes?** "

"That's what I'm going to find out. You remember my student, Edward Elric, right?"

" **Oh, you mean the girl who recently joined the Girls' Football Team and always stayed an extra hour for practice.** "

"Yeah that's her."

" **What's happened, Maes?** "

"I went to get some paper work, since Edward wanted to do more practicing again and when I came back, she was lying on the grass, sleeping, panting and burning up really badly."

" **You think she has a fever?** "

"Definitely. I don't trust a hospital to look after her and I don't remember her address off by heart, so I kinda have to take her home with me. Is that okay with you, dear?"

" **Of course, it's fine! I'll start cooking up some stew and check to see if we have any fever medicine left.** "

"Make sure to check the date; though I know you'll do that anyway."

" **Sure thing and you remember to be careful on the road; though I know you'll do that anyway.** "

"Very funny, Gracia. Bye. I love you."

" **Bye, Maes dear. I love you, too.** "

With that, the call ended and Maes went back to focusing on the road, watching from the corner of his eye as Edward continued to pant feverishly and moan in her sleep, which was, without a doubt, not very peaceful.

…

Head pounding, body hot and lungs sucking in as much oxygen as possible, Edward silently wished for the black hands of sleep to take her back, but found them pushing her away instead.

" _Damn it,_ " she thought, " _I don't wanna wake up yet. My body's killing me._ "

"Sweetheart, please wake up."

Having finally noticed the hand on her shoulder shaking her awake (and the voice that sounded a little too much like her mother's), Edward jolted up right and her eyes darted around the room.

"Mom?" She called as she looked and finally realized a few things.

This place didn't look a thing like her old home she used to live in with her brother and mother, nor did it look like the house she was living in now with her other siblings. Did that mean she had been kidnapped or something?

"Edward, please, calm down, it's okay. You're safe."

Finally realizing she was shaking like a leaf in a storm, Edward growled at herself in warning and forced her body to quit it. Turning her head to the voice, Edward found herself looking at the face of a woman she vaguely recognized.

Short, slightly curled and plane blonde/brunette hair cupped her cheeks and covered the back of her head from what Edward could see, but it didn't reach any further than that. Her eyes were a soft green color that glowed with a motherly kindness that Edward hadn't seen in years and her skin was pale. She was wearing a simple blue dress with a cream coloured long-sleeved shirt under it and white slippers.

"Who are you?" Edward found herself asking.

The woman smiled, "I'm Gracia Hughes, your teacher's wife."

" _That explains why I recognize her, he's always showing off pictures of her whenever he gets the chance,_ " Edward thought, then said out loud, "I'm Edward Elric and not that it isn't nice to meet you, but, where am I and why am I meeting you?"

"You collapsed on the football field after practice, according to Maes," Gracia began explaining, "and since Maes didn't know who to contact or where you lived and because you were sick, he brought you here. While you were sleeping, I was able to get some medicine down your throat, so I hope you're feeling better then you did before."

"I'm a lot better now, thank you Mrs. Hughes," Edward began, ignoring her body's pain in favor of a smile, "but I need to go home, like, now. My parents are kinda busy and I'm sure my little siblings are worried about me."

After a nod from Gracia, who stood up and got out of the way, the blonde teenager got to her unsteady feet and walked towards the door, stumbling the entire way.

"Edward, are you sure you're okay?" Gracia called.

Edward checked her voice before she spoke, "I'm fine, just not quiet used to standing up just yet, I'll easily be able to shake it off on the walk home."

When she didn't hear the woman respond, Edward stopped leaning on the wall she had used and headed further and down into the hallway, towards the door. She went to pick up her shoes that it appeared Mr. Hughes had taken off for her, but found herself falling forward and losing her balance immediately.

" _Oh shit,_ " Edward though as she braced for impact, " _this is gonna hurt._ "

"Gotcha."

Finally noticing the arms around her shoulders, supporting her up, Edward began struggling, "Let me go, I can walk on my own just fine!"

"Yeah, I know you can Mrs. Elric," Came Maes's teasing voice beside her, "but I'd rather give you a lift to your place, just to be sure."

Turning her head to glare at her teacher, Edward growled, "School's over for the day, teach, I don't need to be baby sat!"

"Ahh, but it isn't for me and until you graduate, you will always be my student, Mrs. Elric."

"Look, I'm grateful for the medicine and accommodation, but I've imposed enough on you guys already, I'm not accepting a ride from you. And besides, Mrs. Hughes told me you came here because you didn't know where I lived."

The argument continued on like this for a solid 10 minutes before Edward finally had enough.

"OKAY! FINE! I'LL GET IN YOUR BLOODY CAR AND LET YOU GIVE ME A DAMNED LIFT HOME!" She screamed.

Maes grinned like the Devil, "I knew you'd eventually see things my way."

Edward contemplated muttering an insult (something like "Oh, fuck off, you persistent prick") but decided against it since she already had enough detention for that stunt she and Roy pulled off.

…

Back at the house, Alphonse sat on the front yard's steps, his head in his hands as he sobbed and May rubbed his back soothingly.

"What if she's hurt, May?" Alphonse's cracked and panicked voice asked, "She would have called if something came up at Football Practice and Winry already said she doesn't know anything."

"I'm sure she's fine, Al," May soothed him to the best of her abilities, "She's Edward after all. Maybe the battery in her phone is dead or she had a detention she forgot about and you know you're not allowed phones in or before detention."

"Ed wouldn't have cared," The blonde whimpered, "she still would have at least tried to call us."

The Xingese girl sighed and pulled her boyfriend into a gentle hug, allowing him to cry on her shoulder and kept her own tears to herself. She was worried about Edward to, they all were, but she had to be strong; she had to stay positive. If not for her own sake, then for the sake of her new friends and family.

Edward had been so kind and supportive of her throughout the mess of her upcoming trial over her mother's abuse. Edward had been the big sister that Lan-Fan couldn't have ever been and she was so grateful to the blonde; May didn't know what to do as thanks except keep her promise. To hold Alphonse's heart (that he had willingly given to her) in careful and appreciative hands that would treasure him until the day she died.

Hearing a car engine, May lifted her head from Alphonse's head and gasped, "It's Ed!"

"EDWARD'S HERE?!" 4 voices from inside the house called along with the one beside her.

May nodded and started sprinting towards the drive way, Alphonse, Roy, Rick, Rio and Nina right behind her.

When they spotted Edward jumping out of the shotgun seat, everybody screamed, "EDWARD!"

Startled, the blonde turned her head towards the charging youths who were running toward her, gasping, "Guys!"

Edward went to meet them half way along the lawn and the first person to tackle her was Nina, then Rick and Rio, after them May, Alphonse and finally, Roy helped her off the ground and pulled her into a hug. And of course, she started struggling.

"Get your hands off me, pervert!" She growled.

"But I'm only hugging you because you can hardly stand up." Roy said with an innocent face.

"Fuck off, I can stand perfectly fine on my own two feet! I have a good pair of legs, ya know, I can use them!"

"Yeah, but there's nothing wrong with leaning on someone else when those legs get weak knees."

"But my knees aren't weak, you pompous prick!"

"How come you stopped struggling," Roy placed the back of his hand on Edward's forehead, "and you've got a temperature?"

Edward growled when she realized he was right. With one final shove, she was out of his grasp and standing on her own two feet, arms crossed and a blush on her cheeks when those annoying little voices in her head kept arguing;

" _I wanna go back into his arms! They were so warm and caring! Damn you Prideful!Edward, let me do what I wanna do for once!"_

" _Piss off, Fluffy!Edward, he'll think I'm weak if I let you take control!"_

" _But it's my body, too! You're so stubborn!"_

" _And you're such a wimp!"_

" _At least I don't have a stick up my ass!"_

" _At least I still have my pride as an independent person who doesn't need your feelings!"_

"What kept you, Ed?!" Alphonse yelled.

"We were all really worried about you, Big-Sister." Nina whimpered.

Edward sighed and knelled down so she could be eye-level with her only sister. She patted her head gently, "Sorry, I just got a little carried away with Football Practice, that's all guys."

"But you're burning up with fever!" Roy argued, "Why the Hell is that?!"

"Because she does have a fever."

Everyone turned their attention to Maes as he stepped out of the car and walked towards the group of siblings.

"Who are you?" Rio questioned, taking a protective step in front of Rick and Nina.

"I'm Maes Hughes; Edward's homeroom and PE teacher and I'm also in charge of the Football Club." Maes said, "Just after practice ended, Edward collapsed when I wasn't looking and I took her to my house to give her some medicine. I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys, but I didn't know your parents' number so I couldn't call and let you know where she was."

Nina smiled, "That's okay, Edward never tells anyone Mommy's or Daddy's number."

"Nina." Edward scolded, slightly.

Maes chuckled, "And speaking of parents, I haven't met Edward's yet; would it be okay if I saw them and explained the situation myself?"

Instantly (and silently) Edward became panicked, "They're busy!"

Everyone turned to look at the blonde teen strangely. Edward cleared her throat, "I mean, they always take a bath at this hour exactly, so you're gonna have to talk to them another time."

Everyone stared at her oddly; even her siblings. Nina looked like she was about to say something, but Edward sent her a desperate and subtle look, so the little brunette kept her mouth closed.

Maes shrugged his shoulders slightly, "Okay then, I'll see them at the next parents' evening."

With that, the man turned and hopped into his car.

"Wait!"

Turning his head to the window, he saw as Edward came running over, stopping once she was outside of his window.

"Thank you for," She swallowed and blushed as if embarrassed to even think of these words, let alone say them, "looking after me and taking me home."

Though surprised, since this was definitely the last thing he expected to hear from the Edward Elric, Maes smiled, "Anytime, Mrs. Elric."

Edward scowled, "Is it so bad to just use my first name, Mr. Hughes?"

Maes smiled, "Is it so bad to use my first name, Mrs. Elric?"

With a mutter of "whatever", Edward turned her head and walked towards her house. Maes smiled and turned on the car, leaving the family to finally have a peaceful night, knowing that Ed was safe.

But for Maes, his night had just begun.

Edward had been lying to him about her parents, that was plainly obvious and Maes had pretty good instincts when it came to telling if a child was in a dangerous situation or not; and his instincts were screaming at him that Edward was in danger. Maes knew he wouldn't be able to rest until he knew she was safe, so he made a mental plan:

1:Kiss Gracia good night, tell her you're going to mark some homework.  
2:Go into the school data base and bring up all any files you can find about Edward Elric and Family.  
3:Research into Family Background, see if parents could have come out of a bad situation or have previous charges of abuse.  
4:Once evidence is found, keep a closer eye on Edward at school, just to make sure she's not giving off any signs or indications of abuse.  
5:If any are found, interrogate her and convince her to tell him what the story is.

With that plan in mind, he turned on the radio and was surprised to hear the song that had played.

" _My little girl met a new friend just the other day  
On the playground at school  
Between the tires and the swings  
But she came home with tear-filled eyes  
And she said to me, 'Daddy, Alyssa lies'_

 _Well I just brushed it off at first  
'Cause I didn't know how much my little girl had been hurt  
Or the things she had seen  
I wasn't ready when I said 'You can tell me'  
And she said_

' _Alyssa lies to the classroom  
Alyssa lies everyday at school  
Alyssa lies to the teachers  
As she tries to cover every bruise'_

 _My little girl laid her head down that night to go to sleep  
As I stepped out the room I heard her say  
A prayer so soft and sweet  
'God bless my mom and my dad  
And my new friend Alyssa  
Oh I know she needs you bad because_

 _Alyssa lies to the classroom  
Alyssa lies everyday at school  
Alyssa lies to the teachers  
As she tries to cover every bruise'_

 _I had the worst night of sleep in years  
As I tried to think of a way to calm her fears  
I knew exactly what I had to do  
But when we got to school on Monday I heard the news_

 _My little girl asked me why everybody looked so sad  
The lump in my throat grew bigger  
With every question that she asked  
Until I felt the tears run down my face  
And I told her that Alyssa wouldn't be at school today_

 _'Cause she doesn't lie in the classroom  
She doesn't lie anymore at school  
Alyssa lies with Jesus  
Because there's nothing anyone would do_

 _Tears filled my eyes  
When my little girl asked me why  
'Alyssa lies  
Oh daddy, oh daddy tell me why  
Alyssa lies'_"

Maes knew that song well: Alyssa Lies by Jason Michael Carroll.

He used to play it a lot when he was a teenager whenever he felt like he needed to get his blood pumping. And that song damn well did a good job at getting him pissed. Not with the artist, or with the words, or anything like that. What got him pissed was that so many kids go through this kind of shit on a daily basis and no one knows about it but the ones taking part. And then when someone does finally realize what's going on, it's already too late because the abused child is already dead.

With those thoughts in mind, Maes suddenly felt a large weight of forbidding crushing his heart as a horrible though entered his mind:

" _What if Edward's going through this?_ "

Maes knew he wouldn't get any sleep that night. Good thing it was a Friday then.


	7. Chapter 6: An Angel's Offered Hand

As soon as he got home, Maes initiated his plan. He gave Gracia a kiss, promised he'd be up later after doing some homework (since to him it was homework; he could never lie to Gracia) and as soon as she was up the stairs, he turned to his laptop on the coffee table, powered it up and went to the school's website.

With the light of the computer screen, Maes mumbled as he looked through the register, "Let's see here, where're the 'E's? Oh, here they are and now to find Elric. Elric… Elric… El-Bingo."

He clicked on the name Elric (it was the only one in the register, so he knew it was Edward's) and scanned through the profile.

 _Student's Full Name: Edward Jenna Elric-Hohenheim_

 _Student's Current Age: 15 Years Old_

 _Student's Birthday: 2_ _nd_ _of February, 2001_

 _Student's Gender: Female_

 _Student's Parents/Guardians: Van Hohenheim (Father) and Dante Hohenheim (Step-Mother)_

"Bingo." Maes muttered, "Now, let's see what the great big world of the internet has to say about these two."

Maes entered Van's name first and was surprised when so many links showed up. He clicked on the first one, which turned out to be a Wikipedia page.

"Now this is getting interesting." The man mumbled as he read the words the internet had to say about him.

 _Van Hohenheim is an extremely successful business man and Alchemist originating from the country of Xerxes,_ (" _That explains Edward's golden eyes and hair._ " Maes though since Xerxesians were known for having such traits) _but is currently living in Amestris in Central City. He and his wife, Dante, are often on the move because his trading meetings are held all over the country._

 _He has had 3 wives; the Xingese Echo Yao, the Amestrian Trisha Elric and the Cretan woman Dante Rappar. Hohenheim is the father of 4 children [two sons and two daughters] and is the step father of 2 children [two boys]._

 _His oldest child is half Xingese and a boy named Ling Yao (1997); Ling is the only child Hohenheim had with Echo. His second oldest is his first daughter Edward Elric (2001) and her younger brother Alphonse Elric (2005) takes third place; they both have the same mother, the late Trisha. His step sons, two half-Ishvalan children named Rio (2008) and Rick (2009), are his fifth and sixth oldest and have the same mother and father; Dante and the Late Ishvalan Solider simply known as "Scar". His final child is a girl named Nina (2011) who is Dante's and Hohenheim's daughter._

"Wait," Maes though out loud, "Edward has an older brother?"

To be honest, this completely shocked Maes; though Edward didn't seem fond of most things, she definitely cherished her siblings, even her Ishvalan brothers who she had no blood connections to. She spoke of them often and not once had Maes ever hear her mention having an older brother.

Putting this information to the back of his mind for later usage, Maes continued to read the article. It gave him next to no useful information; the closest thing to useful he found was the things that Hohenheim created for the state (gunpowder weapons) and that he was a former State Alchemist who used light as a weapon, getting him the title of "Hohenheim of Light" but was retired after he confessed to having lung cancer he had gotten over the day before Dante became pregnant with Nina.

"So, let's try to find out about the former Mrs. Rappar." He muttered to himself and clicked on Dante's name.

 _Dante Hohenheim, also known as Dante Rappar, is a powerful and intelligent Alchemist who was born and raised in Dublith, Amestris by Cretan Parents before moving to Central City with her two sons, Rio and Rick. She met and fell in love with Van Hohenheim here and became the step mother of his three children, Ling Yao, Edward Elric and Alphonse Elric. In 2011, she and Hohenheim had a daughter named Nina._

 _There are rumors that Dante had been a stripper, dirty magazines model and prostitute on the "Bad Side" of Dublith in her youth, but she does not deny or confirm such rumors, only stating that "desperate kids will do unimaginable things when given the chance to if it will benefit them"._

"A prostitute?" Maes questioned, then he remembered some of the rumors he heard the students natter on about.

" _I heard her mother's a model for dirty magazines."_

" _I bet she's fucking all the teachers in school."_

" _They say the apple never roots far from the tree."_

" _I once heard that someone saw her sucking my chemistry teacher's dick after school hours."_

"Holy shit." Maes muttered.

No wonder Edward had a hard time with the other kids; they though she was jerking everybody off. Of course, that wasn't true, but Edward never specified if anything said about her was true or not; that was just like her.

Sighing at the migraine that was going to take hold, Maes closed his laptop, pulled at his disheveled hair, got up and went to bed; only one bit of information remaining in his brain.

Hohenheim and Dante were constantly on business trips.

That meant that Edward and her younger siblings were often alone at home, since he was very sure she would never mention having any guardian at home, which is something he knew she would do.

…

When he arrived at work on Monday, a bit earlier than usual he admitted, Maes was surprised at the sight he saw already there. The sight was Edward with a broom in her hand and sweeping up the last of the dirt in the girls' changing room from football practice on Friday.

"Edward? How did you get in here?" Maes called.

The blonde girl yelped and turned to glare at her teacher, "Damn it, Mr. Hughes, stop scaring me like that! And to answer your question, the janitor let me in."

The dark haired man raised an eye-brow at that, "And he'd do that because…"

Edward scoffed, "Alphonse decided to play a prank on everybody and set all the clocks in the house 2 hours ahead, so I ended up getting to school before even the janitor could arrive. Little kid may seem like the honest, cute, couldn't-hurt-a-fly type, but he's really a cheeky, little devil when he wants to be. And since I had nothing better to do, I offered to help clean up, so he lent me to key to the changing rooms."

Maes was surprised by this; for what purpose would Alphonse have for pulling such a prank on his siblings? Shaking his head slightly, Maes chuckled and went to the PE Department office. He opened up the computer under his account name, opened up the register and marked Edward Elric in for the day.

…

And so, Maes initiated Phase 4 of Operation "Is Edward Elric Abused": Keeping a closer eye on her during school hours. Unfortunately, Maes noticed one too many things he wasn't sure it was a good thing for him to have.

1:On the field, during PE, she ran as if her life depended on it.  
2:In class, during a test or something, she worked as if it was the only reason she was alive.  
3:In the library or the field, during breaks, she read or trained as if it'll be the last thing she ever did.

Maes had always known Edward Elric was the kind of person who gave life her best, but he knew she knew that she wasn't in immediate danger (or so he used to think). What on Earth could be putting her on edge so much? What reason is there for her to feel like she has to be on alert all the time? It's as if she's waiting for something to come out and kill her, no matter where she is.

That made Maes more worried than he had been in years. And that paranoia was increasing daily.

…

On Saturday, at the Hohenheim house, Edward sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time, "Now, everybody behave, got it? I'm afraid I'm gonna have to work a little bit longer today and that's why I'm leaving the others in your care, alright guys?"

Alphonse, May, Rio, Rick and Nina nodded, "Okay!"

Edward looked at Sheska first, "You can read any book in the house you like, just help out when you're called, okay?"

The brunette nodded, "You got it, Eddy-chan."

The golden blonde turned to look at Winry, "My Dad's car is out back and you can tinker with it all you want, just make sure he won't notice any changes."

The lemon blonde cheered, "Yahoo!"

The alchemist turned to Kain, "If you wanna tinker with a radio or something, tinker with Dante's; she never uses it anyway so she won't notice a difference."

The younger looking dark haired man grinned, "Yes."

The girl in red turned to the Hawk's Eye, "I do have some guns in the basement if you wanna see what they're like, but don't leave any evidence you even touched them, or Hohenheim will kill you."

Riza nodded and saluted, "Yes."

"And Roy," Edward turned to said man, who grinned like an idiot, "Do whatever you want."

He fell down Anime style, "What?! How come everybody else gets to do something and you're like, 'Psst, whatever' with me?!"

"Because you're a Bastard and I don't like you."

"Awww, come on, Edward-chan!"

"Don't call me chan, so, later everyone!"

With that, before the argument could continue and Edward would end up swearing like a banshee in front of her siblings, she ran out the door, hopped on her bike and road into town. She heard Roy yelling insults or something after her, but ignored it in favor for peddling a little bit faster; she was already going to be at least a little bit late for she shift at work and she knew the others weren't going to let it slide.

"What the hell is going on?" You ask. Well, you see, Edward has a part time job at a little restaurant in town named "Angel's Café" and since she couldn't work during school hours or after them, she spent practically every weekend there. Last weekend, since she had that fever, she hadn't been allowed to go to work, so she had to make up for lost time this week.

" _I sure hope the other girls won't hate me for that._ " Edward though, grimacing, " _If I give them a chance, they'll murder me in my sleep for dumping all that work on them last weekend._ "

Before long, Edward had arrived at the Café. It was in the middle of a highway street and simple, but charming (in it's own way). The inside of the café was painted cream with several different patterns all around the walls, some drawn by customers, come by the workers. There was a quaint Roman numbered clock in the far corner on the left above the counter, which showed off several different and delicious looking treats like cakes, pies, ect. And behind the counter, was one of the objects of Edward's fear.

Behind the counter was a fairly tall (much to Edward's annoyance) and fair-skinned woman with dark-eyes, a slender frame with a curvaceous yet well-toned, well-endowed figure, and upper back-length black hair worn in box braids. On the left side of her collarbone was a blue Flamel tattoo and she was wearing her traditional long white collared-blouse with a flowing backside, form-fitting grey pants reaching her ankles, and opened-toed sandals that have the letters "W.C." on them. To this day, Edward would never know what they stood for, but that wasn't the point.

The point is: this is her scary co-worker/mentor with a butcher for a boyfriend. This is Izumi Harnet.

"Thank you for coming to the Angel Café," Izumi smiled at the customers, "Please come again, soon."

When the customers walked past Edward, she sighed with a thought, " _Izumi is going to kill me._ "

"Hi, Izumi-sensei," The blonde said with a shaky wave and laugh, "sorry I wasn't here last weekend-"

"STUPID STUDENT OF MINE!" Izumi screamed and threw a empty chair towards the blonde.

Though she anticipated such an act, Edward still screamed and ducked, whimpering when she saw the chair brake into a million little pieces when it hit the bullet-proof glass of the café window. They were lucky it was still early and that there weren't any other customers there to worry about.

"You come crawling in here, begging for a job to pay for your brothers and sister to go to college," The dark haired woman screamed, "and then YOU MISS OUT ON ONE OF YOUR SHIFTS?!"

"I'm sorry, okay!" The golden haired girl growled, "I had a fever, I collapsed on my school's football field after practice! My siblings and teacher wouldn't let me go, even if it meant tying my wrists to my bedpost!"

"Then why didn't you call in, you idiot student of mine?!"

"Because they threatened to wield my metal leg to the bed if I got up for anything but the toilet!"

"What a pitiful excuse. As if your siblings would actually do that."

"No, they wouldn't, but my stalker and old friends would!"

"Wait a moment," Izumi halted her screaming, "you have a stalker?"

"Basically," Edward groaned, "his name's Roy Mustang. I met him when he broke into my house just after moving here, saw him again when I found out he was in the same school as me and is now attempting to find out where I work in order to watch me there, too."

"Dear god, what did you do to get his attention so bad?"

"I don't know, all I do know is when he broke into my house, I had been asleep and woke up when he tried to kiss me!"

"Damn, sounds like he's in love with you, Edeline-chan!"

"Don't call me that; that's what that shit head Mustang calls me!"

Izumi chuckled and returned to the counter, "Well, I just hope you change your mind soon; if you think he's stalking you, then what's really happening is he's trying to become your friend before trying to get you to fall in love with him."

Edward grimaced at that, "Me? In love with that bastard or him in love with me? Gross," she pretended to be sick, "Ugh, you just ruined my whole morning Izumi-sensei; thank you so much."

"It was my pleasure, child," Izumi chuckled, "Now get to work."

"Hai, hai." Edward sighed and walked behind the counter, past the kitchen, into the changing rooms where her locker was and went from her usual outfit of all black (with the exception of her red jacket) to something new.

…

Maes sighed. Things weren't going so well on Operation: Is Edward Elric Abused. And by 'not well', he meant he was getting evidence that confirmed his fears. Maes had caught wind of her parents' return from their latest trip and he had noticed Edward's edginess and intensity in all things increase 10 fold, as if her parents' presence makes her wearier instead of safer.

Could this mean her parents frighten her?

Just the fact that he had been contemplating that as he watched her during school hours, showing off all the evidence he needed to confirm his fears, had made his skin crawl. But he had to be careful; the Hohenheims were extremely powerful here in Amestris and Maes had once been a soldier. He knew what happened to those who didn't obey the flow of power in the military.

However, he wasn't going to let them get away with abusing Edward if they really were doing that. Even if it cost him his life, he was not going to let it continue.

"IZUMI!"

Hearing the scream made Maes lift his head and blink his green eyes in shock a few times. That sounded like Edward…

He turned his head to see he was in front of a café. His stomach rumbled at it and after a quick glance at his watch, he realized it was just about time for brunch. So he decided to go in. Maes took a seat and sighed. He only now noticed the migraine he had from thinking so hard on Ed's situation. That was just great.

"Good day, sir, would you like a menu to make an order?"

"Yes, please miss…" Maes trailed off when he lifted his head and saw the last thing he thought he would ever see in his entire life.

It was Edward Elric. With her hair died pink. In a maid uniform. Blushing mad and gaping like an idiot.

Maes didn't know wither he should laugh, grimace or point it out (but then realized that would most likely get him a useless ear because she's scream in it to the point of making him deaf). But before he could speak, Edward did.

"Mr. Hughes," She growled, as if angry, but Maes prayed she was just covering up her embarrassment, "please, I beg you, do not speak of this to anyone."

Maes nodded, but before Edward could go back into her waitress mode, "I'd like an explanation after you shift, if you wouldn't mind."

The blonde-turned-pink haired girl frowned, "It ends at 9 pm, Sir. But I get a break at 11:30 to 11:45."

The once green haired man nodded, "I'll wait for it then, it's only 10:50 now."

The teenager nodded and went back into her waitress mode while the adult allowed himself to be a customer again.

…

40 minutes later, we find Edward back in her regular cloths with her golden hair again while Maes is sitting in front of her, ready to start asking questions.

"Okay, first of all, why are you working here when you're parents are billionaires or something like that?" Maes questioned.

"Because I'm supporting my own collage funds, I don't wanna rely on them and it's a good paying job. 12 bucks an hour for just being here and helping out wither it's by cleaning the bathrooms or serving customers." Edward explained.

"What was with the pink hair and maid outfit?"

"Izumi-sensei's idea of a practical joke. Normally, I just wear a shirt, some knee-length jeans and sneakers, but she broke into my locker and replaced those with that ridiculous maid outfit. I changed my hair using alchemy so that if anyone ever hears of 'The Woman who is Izumi Harnet's Apprentice at the Angel Café', they won't associate her with 'Ice Queen Edward'. I even go by another name here, everyone calls me Edeline."

"Izumi-sensai? Who's that?"

"She's a mentor of mine; taught me all the things I needed to know about how to work here and the nickname kinda stuck. She's also the heiress of the café, so it also a sort of Boss to everyone else since the real owner is never around."

"And why Edeline?"

"It's girly so no one would suspect a tomboy to have it, similar enough to my name for me to turn my head and it was Izumi's idea. Even if I didn't approve it, she would have convinced me otherwise with her scary temper."

"And why did you start working at a café of all places?"

"Because it was the only place that I could find that would take me on and pay me. This will make me sound like a greedy bitch, but I want that money as soon as possible. Plus, I like the job."

"I see. But, if you want money so bad and know alchemy, why not become a State Alchemist? You're a prodigy when it comes to chemistry; I've seen your marks in it."

"Because I promised Alphonse I wouldn't do something knowing it would get me possibly killed. I could die at any moment, doing whatever, but Alphonse has this idea of me losing my life sooner if I'm summoned to war as a Human Weapon or something. And since he used to have nightmares of me on the battlefield, I promised him I wouldn't become a soldier."

"That's understandable." Maes takes a sip of his coffee, "So, how do you feel about working as hard as a dog here?"

Edward half shrugs, gives a smile and says, "Oh, it's fine here; aside from the maid outfit incident today, things are okay around here. You don't have to worry about me so much, Mr. Hughes," she chuckled as she takes a sip of her apple juice, "I'm fine, I take care of myself well enough."

Maes could tell that was a lie. Throughout her shift, all Maes had seen from the girl was fake smiles and hidden sadness in her eyes. She thought she could create the perfect mask to hide her emotions, but like most masks, there were holes for the eyes and her eyes told him everything that was really on her mind. She hated this job and though she hid it well, from her face to her body language, her eyes told no lies and confessed the truth to anyone who could hear (or rather see) it.

So, he said, "I know teachers don't usually say this, but, Edward," Edward's attention was back on him after saying her real name, so Maes continued, ",if you ever need someone you can trust to help you out, please talk to me. I want to be able to be here for you, not as your teacher, but as your friend."

Edward might have gasped if she hadn't gotten so good at hiding her emotions. She knew they were mere words, nothing special, but they made her feel… touched. Loved. Looked out for. She hadn't felt like that for so many years, she thought she would cry, but held back to look at the clock.

"Oh, I have to get back to work. Later…" She was unsure about this, but gulped down her fear and forced herself to finish, "Maes."

Maes let the surprise show on his face, before smiling as he stood up, "Yeah, Gracia is probably missing me, too. So, I'll see later at school, Edward."

The blonde smiled and nodded, calling as she dashed into the world behind the counter, "Goodbye, Maes!"

As soon as she was in the changing room, making sure it was locked, Edward put her back to the door, sank to the floor until her butt hit the ground with her knees level with her head and she did one something she once did on a regular basis in privacy, just for the first time it was out of happiness.

She cried.

She cried pure tears for joy because she knew someone was reaching for her. Edward showed off her worst to the entire world, acting like she didn't care while praying it would make them back off so they wouldn't get involved with her and her crappy parents. And yet, someone who was supposed to stay at a certain distance, to keep some sort of barrier between his students and himself had just told her he wanted that barrier thrown in the bin.

And he did just that by calling her by her first name. Edward was scared to death, happy as hell and just wanted to cry there, let the tears of joy role down her face and forget about her problems for just two minutes to let herself be thankful that someone in this cold, cruel world saw past her bitterness and could see the girl underneath who just wanted a hand to told in this horrible place.

Edward had forgotten what it was like to have a hand holding her own, guiding her in this horrible and cruel world and keeping her heart warm and protected; she had lost the right to such warmth and comfort when she got her mother killed.

She wondered if she could regain that right one day.

She wondered if Maes could really be the one who would allow her to believe she had that right.

She wondered if her friends could help her get back the right to feel cared for.

She wondered if her siblings could ever learn of her true life and help her heal from it.

She briefly wondered… if she could really be treated like a human for the first time in 4 years without fear of it being taken away from her again.

…

Back with Maes, he was still shocked that Edward had called him by his first name.

The teenager had sounded so surprised and happy when she said his name; as if happy to be on a more personal level with her teacher who he hoped she would now consider a friend.

Maes wanted to be closer to Edward; he wanted to find out what was making her tick, he wanted to know what made her ticking jump or alter, but most of all, he wanted to know the truth. He wanted to know if she was being abused and when he finally did figure it out, if she was in fact being abused, he planned on helping her out as much as he could.

Some music caught his ears and as he turned his head, he saw a young guitarist who was singing and playing at the same time.

" _I can't say that everything's okay  
'Cause I can see the tears you're crying  
And I can't promise to take the pain away  
But you can know I won't stop trying_

 _I'll be the angel by your side  
I will get you through the night  
I'll be the strength you can't provide on your own_

 _'Cause when you're down and out of time  
And you think you've lost the fight  
Let me be the angel, the angel by your side_

 _I know it feels like you're running out of faith  
'Cause it's so hard to keep believing, oh  
But if I can bring the smile back to your face  
If For a moment you'll forget all about it, oh_

 _I'll be the angel by your side  
I will get you through the night  
I'll be the strength you can't provide on your own_

 _'Cause when you're down and out of time  
And you think you've lost the fight  
Let me be the angel, the angel by your side_

 _'Cause this won't be the last time  
You'll need a little hope  
So I wanna be the first to let you know_

 _I'll be the angel by your side  
I will get you through the night  
I'll be the strength you can't provide on your own_

 _'Cause when you're down and out of time  
And you think you've lost the fight  
Let me be the angel, the angel by your side  
Oh, let me be the angel, the angel by your side, oh  
The angel by your side_"

Maes had heard this song; he knew it as well as he knew Allyssa Lies. This was "Angel By Your Side" by Francesca Battistelli; the song he had been listening to when he first met Gracia. He had played it at least once every other day from that day on to remind himself of that magical moment.

And he made another decision.

Even if Edward acted like she didn't need him or anyone else, even if she decided to just go back to being student-teacher, he was going to be there for her.

He would be the angel at her side, even if it killed him.

 **(AN: I have an Omake chapter explaining why Edward beat Shou Tucker up, but I'm not sure if I should bother posting it or not. Would you mind telling me if you wanna hear it or not?)**


	8. Omake 1: The Madman I Called 'My Friend'

_14-year-old Edward Elric and 4-year-old Nina were having a little girls' day out, with Edward and Nina just wondering around the mall, stopping either for snacks or to shop a little; with Edward paying for everything._

" _Big Sister!" Nina exclaimed in excitement, tugging on Edward's hand as she pointed at a store nearby, "Look it, look it!"_

 _Edward smiled and turned her head, spotting the cosplay store that Nina was going nuts over. She laughed slightly, turning her head to her half-sister, asking, "You wanna get an early Halloween costume?"_

 _At the brunette's eager nodding, the blonde chuckled and allowed her sister to tug her along to the store-_

 _BAM!_

 _-only to wind up accidentally body slamming someone._

" _Big Sister!" Nina screamed when she heard the crash and turned around to get back to her sister._

" _Oh, damn, I am so sorry about that!" Edward exclaimed as she got off the ground._

 _A kind chuckle and a waved hand silenced the blonde from saying anything else, "Oh no, it's quiet alright."_

 _Edward recognized the voice as one of her school mates (the only one who didn't bully her) as the voice of Shou Tucker._

 _Tucker has the appearance of a bespectacled and (honestly) weak looking man, having little in the ways of muscle or height and his early receding hairline leaving him only with a small amount of brown hair and the appearance of a middle aged man rather than a teenager. He was wearing a faded green open collared shirt with sleeves that he kept rolled up to his elbows, and a second black shirt underneath._

" _Tucker, it's been a while." Edward greeted, offering her hand to him._

 _Tucker nodded, accepting her hand and taking it in his own, "Yes it has, Ed."_

 _Nina curiously looked between the two, "Excuse me?"_

 _They turned their heads to Nina, Edward with an apologetic smile and Tucker with a curious look on his face._

" _Sorry, Nina. Let me introduce you to a club mate of mine." Edward lifted Nina into her arms, who squealed and giggled. Edward turned her body so both she and Nina were facing Tucker, the little girl's arms around her older-half-sister's neck fondly, "Tucker, this is my little sister Nina. Nina, this is Shou Tucker; we're in the Science Club together."_

" _Hi Tucker-san!" Nina giggled as she waved with a big smiley face._

 _Tucker stared curiously at the name, but chuckled and waved back at Nina, "Hello to you to, Nina."_

 _If it was possible, Nina's smile grew bigger and cuter, making Edward smile; she was glad that they were getting along well enough._

" _Oh, Ed," Tucker's voice broke her trail of thoughts and made her focus more on her friend, "there's this secret project of mine I've been working on. But lately, I've been having a little bit of trouble, so I was wondering if you could help me out?"_

 _Edward was surprised at that; Tucker was the President of the Science Club not just because he was the founder of it, but also because he was the most advanced in Science in the entire group. To hear he had a problem he though she (a total newbie in the group) could help him with, if she was honest, made her ego expand just a little bit._

" _Can I come to, please?" Nina requested, grinning, "I promise I won't touch anything you say I can't!"_

" _Well, I don't know…" Edward trailed off, "only if Tucker lets you, okay, Nina?"_

" _Its fine with me," Tucker smiled, "I wouldn't mind the extra company."_

 _While Nina cheered, Edward chuckled and completely missed the sudden shift in Tucker's expression, before it went back to normal._

…

" _Wow, this is fairly impressive, Tucker." Edward grinned with Nina on her shoulders, who nodded her head rapidly in agreement._

 _Tucker's little 'Lab' as he called it was fairly clean and spacious, with tubs filled with samples of animals (teeth, hair, claws, ect.) on some of the counters while the white walls housed posters connected in some way or another to the Animal Kingdom. On a desk in one of the corners were a few folders and a laptop with a chair just waiting to be sat in._

" _This is amazing, Tucker-san!" Nina cheered as she was placed on the ground, "What's your secret project about anyway? Has it got something to do with animals?"_

 _Tucker chuckled at her enthusiasm, "You're a fast learner, aren't you, Nina-chan?"_

" _According to Big Sister at least!" Nina laughed._

 _Edward chuckled as she ruffled Nina's hair, "That's because you deserve all the praise you can get, Nina; we can't have you growing up thinking you're ugly and stupid, now do we?"_

 _Nina looked at her older sister in confusion, "But I'm not."_

" _Exactly, you little tyke!" The blonde grinned and brought her brunette sister into a headlock, her smile widening when she heard her sister's excited and happy squeals._

 _Tucker watched the tender moment with a smile, but cleared his throat, reminding the girls they had a purpose for coming here. Edward relented her hold on Nina and stood up straight._

" _So, Tucker," Edward began, "what exactly are you doing with all this stuff?"_

" _Well, this may sound crazy but," Tucker took off his glasses and gave them a quick cleaning with a cloth that had been resting on a counter, before putting them back on, "I'm trying to create a Chimera."_

 _Edward gasped at that while Nina looked on in confusion._

" _Big Sister?" Nina called, tugging on the blonde's hand slightly, "What's a Chimera?"_

" _Well," Edward placed her chin in her hand as she began, "in Greek Mythology, a Chimera is a fire-breathing female monster with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail. But when it comes to genetics, Science about DNA, a Chimera is referred to as a single organism composed of genetically distinct cells. Like, a rat could have boy and girl parts, be two different blood types or look a little different on the outside."_

" _Wow!" Nina exclaimed in awe._

" _Ah, but there was one final type of Chimera that you forgot to mention, Edward." Tucker stated._

 _The blonde stared at him as if he were crazy, "But creating that kind of Chimera has been banned for years; if you get caught, you'll be killed!"_

 _The brunette glanced between the teenagers confusedly, "What do you mean, Big Sister?"_

 _The Elric girl sighed and after making sure she was calm, she spoke, "There is one last kind of Chimera; the Alchemically Created kind. In Alchemy, a chimera is a creature synthesized by alchemically "marrying" two or more dissimilar living beings into a new, complete form displaying attributes of its "components". But the government banned the creation of Chimeras in 1916 when Führer Grumman came into power. People are allowed to do all the research into Chimeras they like, but the creation is strictly banned; you can be killed for it."_

 _The brunette gasped at that and looked at Tucker as if afraid she would lose a friend. Tucker sighed._

" _Edward, please calm down," Tucker began, "I wasn't actually going to create a real, breathing Chimera; all the alchemy books that told of how to do that were burned on the day of their banning. I meant a computer generated one."_

 _The half-sisters stared in confusion, "Computer generated Chimeras?"_

 _The older teenager nodded and logged into his computer, "Here, let me show you."_

 _Edward and Nina huddled around Tucker and watched as he pulled up a computer program. He typed in a few things and then two search engines appeared, each one waiting for something to be typed in to them._

" _What are your favorite animals, girls?" Tucker asked._

 _Edward decided to ponder this for a moment; she was pretty cool with all animals, she didn't have a favorite really…_

" _The dog breed: Great Pyrenees!" Nina exclaimed, giggling._

 _Edward chuckled; ever since she had first heard of the bread, she had written on every letter she sent to Santa that she wanted one for Christmas._

" _Komodo Dragon." She stated, simply._

 _Tucker typed their names into the two search engines and after hitting the Enter button on his laptop, something started appearing on the screen. At first it was just a pixilated image, but when it cleared up, the girls' gasped._

" _That looks like…" Nina began, only for Edward to finish, "a combined from of the Dragon and Pyrenees!"_

 _Tucker chuckled, "I've always been interested in Chimeras and though I knew I could never create a living, breathing one, I could always see what they would look like." But his chuckling died down, "However, I feel as if I'm making the Chimeras look too cartoony and that's why I needed your help, Ed."_

" _You wanted me to help you make your Chimeras look," Edward pondered her words "more realistic?"_

 _Tucker nodded. Edward grinned and they began speaking in the foreign language of computer programming while Nina just sat there, giggling occasionally and asking what a word or phrase meant when she was interested._

 _A few hours later, Edward finally realized the time and decided, "Sorry Tucker, but Nina and I have to go now. Maybe we can talk about this again another time."_

" _Oh yes, of course," Tucker agreed, showing them towards the door to his house where they had left their shopping bags, "You and Nina are welcome at my house anytime you like."_

 _With a sleeping Nina in one arm and the shipping bags in another, Edward nodded, "Thanks, I'll be sure to visit at some point."_

 _She walked off into the sunset lit streets, smiling softly at her younger sister's sleeping form and this time, she did feel a change in the air. Turning her head around, she saw Tucker had just gone into his house again and brushed off the feeling; but it only resumed as soon as she turned her head and made Edward paranoid like an idiot._

…

 _Edward ran as fast as her legs would carry her, fear and desperation driving her on._

 _Edward had come to school just like she always did every Monday and left early today because she got a call from Nina's school, saying that she needed a pick up because she had thrown up. Before Edward even bothering to ask for permission, she had been bolting out the school doors like mad, running for Nina's school as if someone would die if she didn't get there in time._

 _A while later, Edward arrived at Nina's school and when she got there, the teachers told her that Tucker had already come and picked her up for her; they said they were told that she knew Tucker was coming. Edward faked a smile, said how silly it was of her to forget, but on the inside she was worried._

 _It had been a week since she found out about Tucker's Chimera project and she had caught him staring at Nina one too many time in a certain way that reminded her way too much of her father. And how that Tucker had her all to himself like this…_

 _Edward didn't stop to think about being discreet (her 4-year-old little sister could be losing her fucking innocent right now, why should being discreet be on her list of things to do?!), she just shoulder charged the door down, wincing when the momentum she had built up made her do a mid-air flip with the door and she winded up landing (painfully) on her back._

 _After taking a minute to get her wind back in her, Edward growled, got up off the ground and looked around for any signs of her sister or Tucker; none. Frowning, she headed straight for Tucker's lab and found it locked._

 _Panic erupting in her soul, Edward began pounding on the door, screaming, "NINA?! NINA, CAN YOU HEAR ME?! TUCKER, I SWEAR TO RA, IF YOU'RE HURTING HER IN ANYWAY, I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!"_

 _Sick of the silence, Edward growled, took a few steps back and charged the door, breaking it down and landing on her side once again. Grunting as she stood up, hissing as wood splinters got in her tangled and messy braid._

" _Damn it, people need to get better at making doors if this is all it takes to break 'em down." Edward grumbled._

 _Looking around the room, Edward gasped in shock, "NO!"_

 _There, in the center of the room on top of a transmutation circle used by Alchemists, were Nina (tied up and knocked out in a chair) and a Great Pyrenees dog who looked to be 4 years old and had a red collar reading "Alexander"._

" _NINA!" Edward screamed._

 _An evil cackle entered her ears, making the blonde growl in pure rage as she turned around to see Tucker stalking into the room, light reflecting off his glasses and hiding his eyes from view._

" _Edward," Tucker chuckled, "I'm so glad you could make it," he laughed again, "you're just in time to watch me make the first chimera in Amestris for over 100 years."_

" _You bastard!" Edward screamed at the top of her lungs, "How dare you even attempt to mess around with people's lives! How fucking dare you!"_

 _Tucker laughed like a lunatic, "Messing around with people's lives?! You're one to talk, Mrs. Elric, daughter of Hohenheim of Light, the man who creates weapons for the state to use to destroy and mess around with other people's lives! You're just a Daddy's little girl, just waiting for the chance to destroy someone else's life! You're just like me and your father!"_

 _From that moment on, all Edward saw was red._

 _1_ _st_ _, he made her feel like she could trust him.  
2_ _nd_ _, he took advantage of that.  
3_ _rd_ _, he compared her to her father  
4_ _th_ _, he threatened her sister's life._

 _She was_ _ **not**_ _going to let him live to see the light of day after this._

 _Edward attacked Tucker until her own hand started bleeding from the strain she put on it. But every punch made his words echo louder in her ears each and every time._

" _You're no different than I am! You had the chance to get your mother killed, you had the chance to mess around with her life and you took it!"_

" _You couldn't help but try it, even if murder is forbidden! No, because it was forbidden was why you did it in the first place!"_

" _Pretty words won't get anything gone, you have to take matters into your own hands! If the state are too scared to create Chimeras, to let the reason Chimera making was banned to let out, then I'm not!"_

 _She was still punching him when she finally realized something; Tucker's just was no longer moving the way it should have. Edward dropped Tucker's limp figure to the ground, took her phone out of her pocket with bloody gloves and dialed the one number she could think to call at a moment in time like this._

" _Hello, I need an ambulance here, please. I've beaten one of my classmates to a near death state when he tried to do inhumane experiments on my little sister." She paused, "I'm Edward Elric-Hohenheim; I'm Van and Dante Hohenheim's daughter, so don't you dare say a word of this to the paparazzi or my parents will be after you like a shot; I'll make sure of that." The blonde paused, "My sister appears to be in healthy condition, so does the dog with her, but I'd like them to had a little once over by the doctors, or something." The Elric girl nodded her head, "Yes, of course, I'll wait here for the doctors to arrive, I promise."_

 _With that over and done with, Edward turned her head towards the barely conscious Tucker. Just for good measure, she kicked his nuts in one more time and gave him one last punch to the face with her metal hand in hopes it'll knock him out; which it did. Sighing out the last of her anger, Edward turned her attention back to her sister and the dog with her._

" _Nina?" Calling more softly this time, Edward lent down and gently shook her younger sister awake, "Time to wake up, honey."_

 _Groaning softly, Nina responded in a croaky, sick sounding voice, "Big Sister, I feel hot and cold all over and my head hurts."_

" _There, there, Nee," Edward said softly, rubbing her sister's back but hiding her eyes from Tucker's limp body, "everything will be okay, I promise. We're going to see a doctor to make sure you're going to be okay, alright?"_

 _Feeling her sister nod against her shoulder and hearing her breath evening out again, Edward stood up and first she broke the ropes binding her to the chair, then she used them to make a leash for Alexander and finally, they left the building; Nina asleep in Edward's arm and Alexander trotting along beside them._

 _Outside, someone seemed to have noticed the broken door and already called the police since she had at least 17 guns pointed at her as soon as she stepped outside of the house._

" _Freeze!" The Policemen ordered, "Put the girl and dog down and step away from them your hands in the air!"_

 _Edward ordered Alexander to sit, which he did and then she placed Nina on the ground beside him, leaning against the dog. Nina made some distressed sounds in her sleep, the blonde though she heard her sister calling out to her, but forced herself to ignore it; she might get Nina shot if she didn't play her cards right. The blonde stepped away from the two and kept her hands in the air._

" _I'd appreciate it if one of you could make sure those two see a doctor and a vet; they were about to be alchemically transformed into a Chimera and I'm not sure if the alchemist who was about to attempt it hadn't drugged them or something." Edward explained as two police officers came over and cuffed her hands behind her back._

" _Be quiet girl, you know your rights." One of the officers ordered._

 _Edward sighed as the other cop went over to her sister and the dog, "You better take good care of those two!"_

" _Oh," the officer behind her taunted, "and if he doesn't?"_

 _If she wasn't talking to the police, she would have said "There'll be Hell to pay", but instead said, "Van Hohenheim and his wife Dante will be on his back because that's their daughter Nina."_

 _All the other officers gasped at the mention of one of the army's biggest weapons supplier. Edward knew that mentioning her parents' names to use as a cushion will get her punished big time but she couldn't give less of a shit; she had to make it very clear to them that no harm was to come to Nina no matter what._

 _With that final though, Edward watched through the police car window as Nina and Alexander were handled with care while a few officers carried a bloody and beaten Tucker out of his house._

…

 _When she got home, after the beating/molesting of a life time from both Dante and Van who forbid her from ever mentioning her connection to them to the authorities ever again and getting a sleepless night, she trudged into school just like she did every 5/7 days of the week._

 _And already rumors were spreading about Tucker and her; that was just great._

" _Hey, did you hear the latest?! Tucker is in the hospital!"_

" _What? No way, how come?!"_

" _When I asked my Dad, who was an officer there, he said he saw a blonde girl being arrested on suspicion of attempted murder!"_

" _What? Tucker was beat up bad enough for them to think he was dead?!"_

" _No, he wasn't dead, but they think the girl there tried to kill him because over the phone when she called the ambulances, she said that she beat him up because he had tried to experiment on her little sister!"_

" _Oh how awful!"_

" _I bet it was that no good, pretty little Ice Queen Edward who did it! I bet the real reason she beat him up was because she got a crush on him and went psycho when he turned her down."_

" _Oh my God, I think you could be right!"_

" _Come on, girls, even Edward has better taste in men then that! I bet she just did it because it was fun."_

" _Oh yeah."_

" _That sure as Hell sounds like our Ice Queen, doesn't it?"_

" _Who else would try something like that?"_

" _Maybe a serial killer."_

" _Or maybe, Ice Queen Edward is a serial killer!"_

" _No way, I think you might be right!"_

 _On and on, the chattering went until Edward had to visibly restrain herself from crying. This wasn't what she wanted; all that had been on her mind that day was protecting Nina and Alexander, screw all the other shit that happened. It wasn't fucking fair! They didn't even know her and yet they were calling her a murder; a monster!_

" _Is this pain the prise I pay for getting you killed, Mom?" Edward whispered, but then shook her head, "No, I only have myself to blame for my own actions; I'll let the other people decide what to make of them."_

 _No one, not even Edward, noticed the tear that ran down her face as she accepted this statement._

…

" _Hey, Ice Queen!"_

 _Turning her head, Edward glared at her company, "What do you want with me, Lan-Fan? To confirm all the rumors and case more to spring up?"_

 _Lan-Fan giggled like an idiot, "Oh, you know me too well, Edward! So, is it true you beat the snot out of Tucker for the fun of it?"_

 _The blonde turned back to her food and just ate it, ignoring Lan-Fan and he cronies as they giggled out taunts._

" _Oh, have we caught the cat by her tongue?"_

" _Is the kitty gonna scratch us up like she did the Science Geek?"_

" _I bet her hiss is worst then her scratches!"_

 _When she was finished eating, Edward carefully lifted up her empty try and took it to the rest of the empty plates and such. She gave a thanks to the lunch lady and walked outside._

 _Before she knew it, Edward was behind the school building-_

" _Hi, Ice Queen."_

 _-where the entire Football and Science clubs were waiting for her, all with either cruel smirks on their faces or revenge seeking eyes._

 _The golden haired girl stood tall (as tall as she could) and strong, awaiting for the onslaught of pain to come and make her pay for the sin of keeping her sister protected._

 _And when the time came, Edward payed dearly._

…

Present Day Edward woke up gasping for breath and struggling to get oxygen back into her lungs as she remembered the rest of that month.

 _Trudging home with a few broken ribs was something Edward soon found she had to get used to and then going to bed with a another one and a sore ass was also becoming the norm for the blonde. Oh, and she had to keep making up good excuses for her siblings if they ever noticed that she was in pain; they were smart after all._

 _By the end of the week, Edward finally accepted that she needed to see a doctor or something, but only left once her parents did._

 _After getting the report and repair information from the doctor, Edward told him she'd follow his advice, but in reality, she ignored it and continued on with her life the way it was. Waking up, going to school, getting verbally picked on, prepare to go home, get beat up by the club members, trudging home, putting the others to bed, putting bandages on herself again and going to sleep._

 _By the end of the second week of beatings, the previous PE teacher finally noticed the signs Edward had been hiding and took her to the school nurse. The nurse told Edward to go to the doctors and she promised that she would…_

 _But she never did. Edward called in at school, saying she'd be taking the next week off and allowed herself to catch up on some sleep that she knew she needed. The blonde gave her body time to heal and took whatever pain relievers she could get her hands on._

Shaking her head to rid it of the memories, Edward scrunched up into a tight ball and took some deep breaths.

"Calm down, Elric," She scolded herself, "you're perfectly fine now; Tucker's in jail, Nina is safe, you're fine."

But deep down, Edward knew she wasn't fine. And she probably never would be.


	9. Chapter 7: The Story of Elicia

It was supposed to be a normal, happy, **family** hang out at the cinema where she and her siblings would watch the movie with the corniest description and while Edward would silently make fun of the lines, Alphonse would cry at the cheesy lines, Rio and Rick would get drawn in by the action and Nina would swoon over the romance.

" _Stupid, fucking Mustang wasn't supposed to be here, too, that bastard!_ " Edward though darkly, gritting her teeth as she sat next to the mentioned black haired boy as he spoke on good terms with Alphonse on the bus.

'How did this happen?' You wonder. No worries, cherubs, I'll explain everything to you.

It was a lovely Saturday morning that Edward had woken up too and for once, she was in a good mood because today was the day: Movie Day!

When she and Alphonse came to live with Rio, Rick and Nina, she started up a tradition; once every month, on a weekend, Edward would take all the kids out to watch a movie of the others' choosing (only because Edward wasn't fussed on movies) in the cinema and then they'd watch it while stuffing their faces with whatever treats they had wanted.

With a smile still in place, Edward hurriedly began preparing herself for the day ahead, slipping into a carbon copy of her usual outfit, making breakfast for the kids, calling them down for it and when everyone started eating; that was the moment when things went wrong.

Rick suggested they'd bring Roy with them for the movie.

Rio nodded his head in agreement.

Nina began cheering at the idea.

Alphonse stated that Roy recommended a book series to him he'd like to have more information on.

May said she wanted to get to know him better.

Edward was out numbered. Big time. And she **hated** it.

So, against her better judgement, she and her siblings went to the address that Roy had given them, knocked on his door and waited for it to be opened. It was opened by a very pretty girl with dirty-blonde hair, pale skin and blue eyes who stated her name was Vanessa when Rio asked for it. Not wanting to spend too much time here, Edward asked if they could see Roy and instantly, the man appeared.

Nina explained their monthly ritual and asked if he would come along, which he agreed to if he got to sit next to Edward in the cinema seats; Edward was the only one against the idea and voiced this opinion, but she was completely outnumbered. A-fucking-gain.

So now, here they were, about to get off the bus to go into the mall, then walk into the cinema and she was being forced to sit next to the biggest prick in town; Roy 'Bastard' Mustang.

"Edward-chan, we've reached our stop," Roy whispered as he leaned into where her ear was, "and I don't know about you, but I am really looking forward to this movie."

"Fuck off, Mustang," Edward growled, not caring that Nina and the other kids were in hearing range, "you dare try anything and I'll stab you."

"Really? With what?"

"My pocket knife, you dumbass."

"You have it on you?"

"Never leave home without it and the only reason I'm not cutting off your manhood for invading my personal space right now is because my little siblings are here and most of them are males."

Finally seeing the bastard cringe (good, he was supposed to), Edward got up and excited the bus, her siblings and Roy trailing closely behind; though the black haired male was now standing at the back of the line rather than at the front where he normally would be.

When they arrived at the foyer, instantly the kids were looking at what movies were about to come on while Edward and Roy went to go ask for the food and drinks. The kids told them what they wanted and they went in line to request it.

"Edward?"

Startled at the voice, the golden-haired teen turned around and gasped.

"Mr. Hu-Maes! Gracia! What are you two doing here?" Edward asked in shock when she saw her teacher and his wife standing in line behind both herself and Roy.

The blonde haired floweriest smiled, "The same as you, I assume; a date to the movies."

"WHAT?!" Edward screamed in embarrassment hidden in anger, her face turning bright pink, "It's-it's-it's not like that at all! You see, me and my family have this little tradition when we-"

"Oh, you don't have to be so shy about it, Edward-chan," Roy grinned, throwing his arm over her shoulders and making the pink in her face turn red, "they're our friends, they have a right to know what we're up to after all."

"B-b-bastard!" The golden-haired girl stuttered, "That's not true and you bloody well know it!"

"Awww, you're so cute when your face is all red and mad and stuff," The black-haired boy teased, "reminds me of the look you gave me when we were in your bedroom."

"YOU'VE NEVER BEEN IN MY ROOM, YOU POMPOUS PRICK; TAKE THAT BACK NOW!"

"Calm down, Ed, no harm or offence was intended, you know I'm just joking."

"EXCUSE ME FOR TAKING OFFENCE TO A DAMN LIE YOU TOLD MY TEACHER THEN!"

"You're excused then."

Growling, with her face still red (from anger or embarrassment? No one could really tell anymore), Edward took a deep breath in a poor attempt to calm herself and she turned back to the Hughes couple, her embarrassment of making a scene in front of them clear.

"I deeply apologize for this idiot's unnecessary commentary." The Eldest Elric began, "The real reason we're here is because we were taking my family out to watch a movie; it's a tradition we have that once a month on a weekend, we'd go into town and watch something on the big screen together."

Maes nodded in understanding, "It's good that you spend so much time with your family, Ed, but what about May?"

"She's here, too," Roy explained, "Ed decided that the family tradition should include partners as well, just to make sure the person is good enough for the family member, even though she's already decided May's worthy enough to be called an in-law."

"My, oh my," Gracia chuckled, "already thinking that far ahead, Edward?"

She nodded, "Sorta. Those two are in the honeymoon stage and I'm pretty sure they're gonna stay in that stage even after their real honeymoon; Alphonse already told me that he's pretty sure he's going to ask May to marry him when he's old enough."

Roy chuckled, "He says that now, but later…"

Edward elbowed him, "Shut up, Mustang, and let my little brother be happy; I know for a fact May's the girl for him and even if they fight sometimes, which undoubtedly will happen, I know she genuinely cares for him with all her heart. And I know Al has already sold his heart and soul to her."

Maes grinned, "I know that feeling, Ed; it's the feeling I had the first time I laid eyes on my darling Gracia."

Gracia giggled, "Oh Maes, you're so romantic."

"Oh yuck," Edward grossed out, jokingly, "please go get a room before I call 911 to have you arrested for PDA."

Everyone chuckled at that while the kids came running over, calling, "Ed, Ed, we know what movie we wanna watch!"

"You do, do ya?" Edward grinned, getting on a knee so she could be eye level with Nina, "And what is the name of the movie we're going to watch?"

"The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel!" The kids cheered.

The golden-haired blonde found herself fighting a cringe at that, "Really now? Well then, we better go get tickets, now shouldn't we?"

"Oh, we were going to watch that movie, too!" Maes cheered, further forcing Edward to fight a cringe, "Why don't we watch it together?"

"Together, together, yay!" Nina cheered, bouncing on the spot.

"I don't think we'll mind the company too much." Rio stated.

"The more the merrier, I say." Rick grinned.

"Well, good films are better when they're shared." May agreed.

"If Edward and May are okay with it, then I am too!" Alphonse nodded.

"Hey, I won't complain, so long as I still get to sit next to Ed-chan for the movie." Roy stated.

Finding herself out number (" _AGAIN DAMN IT! WHY, UNIVERSE?! WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS PUNISHMENT?!_ " Edward silently cursed) the golden-haired girl sighed.

"Fine, we can watch the movie together," She gave in, but then turned to glare at Roy, "but no funny business Roy, or your balls will find themselves becoming friends with another Mustang's foot."

Laughing nervously at the empty threat, everyone chuckled and went to prepare for the movie; buy tickets, get snacks and then go select their seats.

…

A few hours later, we find the gang walking out of the mall, Edward and Roy yawning as they stretched in the sun.

"That was a funny movie, huh, Big Sister?" Nina asked, giggling.

"Yeah, it was," Another yawn escaped Edward's mouth, "funny I guess."

"Oh man," Maes complained as he massaged his neck, "my neck's gone all stiff."

"Maybe we should do some exercise." Alphonse suggested.

"Hey guys," Rick's voice caught everyone's attention, "when was the last time we all went to the playground?"

The Hohenheim kids took a little while to think about that when Rio finally answered, "2 months I think."

Roy grinned, "Then I think we all know where we're going to be spending the rest of today."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"If you guys don't mind," Maes began, gaining everyone's attention, "I think Gracia and I will join you."

The younger kids started cheering at the idea while the pre-teens and teenagers smiled. Sure, at first Edward was dreading the fact she had to have so many (annoying) people joining her family for their monthly tradition, but it turned out having Maes and Roy around wasn't as bad as she though it would be; so she believed she'd be able to handle having them around for a little while longer. Just so long as no one mentioned her height.

"Then let's start walking." Edward stated.

With a few nods, the group set off towards the park in Central.

…

When they arrived, the first thing everyone did was go to the nearest ice cream stand.

While the kids made their orders and Edward payed for them, Roy noticed something, "Hey, aren't you going to get something?"

Edward glared at him slightly, "No and why would it be any of your business to ask about?"

"Hey, calm down, Ed," Roy held his hands up in surrender, careful not to drop his mint and chocolate chip ice cream, "I was just curious because I thought you'd be hungry by now."

"Big Sister doesn't like ice cream," Nina said, her raspberry swirl already covering half her mouth, "she told us she doesn't like cold foods."

"And I think it's true," Rick said, pausing to lick his toffee ice cream, "since I've never seen her eat anything that wasn't at least lukewarm."

"Thank you for the explanation, guys," Edward sighed, "but I can speak for myself, ya know."

"Yeah, we know alright," Rio chuckled as he ate his dark chocolate ice cream, "we just like doing it for you, just to prove how much we know about our amazing, milk-hating older sister."

Edward chuckled at that, "Nice to know you're so proud of me, you little tykes."

"Although," Alphonse stated, smiling from behind his strawberry ice cream, "you used to love ice cream when we went shopping for it with Mom; you always asked for the vanilla."

Edward flinched at the memory; not that it wasn't a good memory because it was, she just didn't want to talk about her past because it would make her upset when she compared it to the present. But she shoved it off with a nonchalant shrug.

"Yeah, but then I found out it had milk in it." The golden-haired girl faked a grimace at the memory.

Honestly, she hadn't minded the fact that ice cream had milk in it; that didn't change that it tasted great, it actually impressed her. But Dante believed that if she spent money on ice cream for Edward, she'd start taking it for granted and therefore banned her from ever buying/eating it, using the excuse that it would make her fat (Edward honestly didn't care about that, but Dante did). And if she ever did something that Dante or Hohenheim banned her from, they'd threaten to kick her out of the house and then start abusing Alphonse or May.

And knowing those sick bastards they would do it and enjoy it, too.

Shaking her head to rid herself of those thoughts (Dante and Hohenheim were in Italy on a business trip, for now, she and the kids were safe) since she just wanted to enjoy the day she was having with her family and friends, Edward decided to strike up a conversation with Gracia about apple pies since Winry loved making them.

While this conversation was going on, Roy watched Edward from the corner of his eye.

He didn't believe Edward's half-assed excuse about not enjoying ice cream anymore and although she definitely wasn't normal, all normal kids like ice cream at least a little bit. He also noticed her sending an occasional and slightly envious look at the other kids as they ate their ice cream, but quickly turned her head before it could be noticed by anyone who wasn't already watching.

So he made a decision.

...

"You really think that would work for an apple pie?" Edward questioned.

Gracia nodded, "I can understand your apprehension about it, I felt that at first as well, but once you try it, your apple pies will never taste the same again and you wouldn't want them to."

"You sounded like a TV commercial."

"Maybe that was the point?"

The two blonde women laughed at the joke, while a coughing caught their attention. The two stopped and turned their heads to see Roy was behind them, smirking. Instantly, a scowl was on the teenage blonde's face as she glared at her 'stalker'.

"What do you want, Mustang?" Edward growled, "Can't you see I'm talking here?"

"Don't worry, Fullmetal," Roy called her by a new nickname, making Edward look at him as if he'd become brain dead, "it won't take even a minute of your time."

Seeing he had given her a different nickname, Edward decided to give it a shot, "Then got on with it, Flames."

Smirking, Roy gave a mocking bow as he pulled his hands out from behind his back, "May I present to you…" he got on a knee and showed off the possession in his hand, "your ice cream."

Edward looked at the dark haired boy as if he were completely insane as he held a vanilla ice cream in a cone to her. An angry tick mark appeared on her head while she raised her fist, growling in a way that screamed she was very close to hitting something.

"Didn't I make it clear earlier," She bent her back so she was staring him in the face, "that I fucking hate ice cream or are you that eager to see my tongue?!"

He looked at her in surprise, "I hadn't thought of that actually."

Growling with a red face, Edward took the ice cream from his still out-stretched hand, "Whatever. I'm going to go throw this stupid thing in the rubbish."

And off she ran, the others either staring or chuckling.

"500 cenz says she's going to eat it." May bet.

Alphonse grinned, "You're on."

With a shake of the hands, the bet between the two was sealed. Edward eventually came back, after everyone else had finished their ice creams, and instantly May noticed the slight white mustache on the top of Edward's lips.

"What kept you, Ed?" Roy asked.

"Some perv tried to grope me, so I beat him up." Edward stated.

"What's that on your lips, then?"

"He squirted whipped cream in my face; I guess I just missed some."

"And I would believe that because…"

"I'm not a liar, Flames, so don't make me tell you anything that isn't true."

"Yeah, sure. But only if you kiss me."

"I'd rather drink milk."

The bickering continued like this, making the pre-teens and adults chuckle.

"When is Big Sister going to admit she somewhat likes him?" Nina asked, giggling.

"When Hell freezes over, Nina." Rio chuckled, "When Hell freezes over."

…

A little while later, the kids could be seen playing with a football while the teens and adults watched from the side-lines. Rick accidentally kicked the ball over Nina's head, which resulted in it bouncing out of the park, off the concrete and into the road.

"Whoops, sorry Nina." Rick apologized.

Nina giggled as she shook her head, "It's okay, I can just go get it."

"Be careful, Nina!" Alphonse called as the 5-year-old ran towards the ball.

"I will!" The brunette cried.

She stopped at the side walk, checked both ways for 45 seconds and then deeming it safe, crossed the road to get to the football.

BEEEEEEEEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Turning her head, Nina gasped in shock and fright as a speeding van came towards her.

"NINA!" Her siblings and companions screamed.

Paralyzed with fear, Nina braced for the upcoming impact-

"NO!"

-but she didn't expect it to come from her side and get her out of the way of the van.

When she and the force that saved her life stopped rolling on the road to the other side, Nina gasped at seeing blood leaking from her savior's head, "BIG SISTER EDWARD!"

"I'm okay, Neen," Edward assured her sister, "it's just a scrape, nothing to worry about. Are you okay?"

The little brunette nodded her teary eyed face, "I'm-I'm okay."

Smiling softly as she sighed in relief, after Edward checked the road, she crossed it with Nina in her arms and allowed her younger sibling to sob. She got to the worried group and allowed the pre-teens to worry over the youngest girl while she walked over to the teens and adults.

"Edward, are you crazy?!" Roy yelled in her face, "You could have gotten killed!"

"I'm fine, Mustang," Edward said with a nonchalant shrug, "no harm was done to Nina or me and that's the important thing here."

"Fullmetal, your jeans are torn and soaking with bloody cuts."

"So what? It's nothing a little disinfectant can't fix."

"And you're limping." Gracia pointed out.

"My Automail leg's just a little bit stiff, that's all. Nothing's wrong with it." Edward insisted.

"You're right leg is the one that's limping, Ed; your flesh and blood knee."

"So? I'll be fine, it's nothing some R&R can't fix."

Laughing it off was the easiest thing to do in this situation, Edward found, and she definitely preferred that to lying to them. Maes stepped forwards, probably about to point out something else and scold her for her insane action, Edward predicted, but he did the opposite.

He hugged her.

Everyone was shocked out of their minds at the sight because 1: Sure, Maes seemed affectionate to those he cared about, but they didn't think he was much of a huger. And 2: Edward was allowing him to hug her.

After a while, Maes pulled back and began to walk away. Gracia looked like she was about to run after him, "Mae-"

"Please, Gracia," Maes voice broke as he spoke, "please give me some time alone. I'll be home before the sunsets, don't worry."

With that, the glasses-wearing man continued walking away and no one thought to stop him.

"We should go home, too." Alphonse stated.

No one disagreed with him, so after a quick goodbye to Gracia, the Hohenheim kids, Roy and May were off towards the main members of the party's home.

…

About a week later, we find Edward strolling through a graveyard, a bouquet of white flowers in her arms. She was visiting her mother's grave for a chat and though it would only be polite to leave her a little something. As she neared where her mother's head stone lay, she was surprised to see who she saw kneeling before the grave next to it.

Maes Hughes was kneeling on the ground in front of the grave on the right of Trisha's with a dozen white roses left lying there; the grave that had only one name: Elicia.

" _Hey Elly, I remember your name…_ "

Edward gasped softly and hid herself, easy-dropping on the song her teacher was beginning to sing.

" _I left a dozen roses on your grave today  
I'm in the grass on my knees, wipe the leaves away  
I just came to talk for a while  
I got some things I need to say_

 _Now that it's over  
I just wanna hold her  
I'd give up all the world to see  
That little piece of heaven looking back at me  
Now that it's over  
I just wanna hold her  
I've gotta live with the choices I made  
And I can't live with myself today_

 _Hey Elly, I remembered your birthday  
They said it'd bring some closure to say your name  
I know I'd do it all different if I had the chance  
But all I got are these roses to give  
And they can't help me make amends_

 _Now that it's over  
I just wanna hold her  
I'd give up all the world to see  
That little piece of heaven looking back at me  
Now that it's over  
I just wanna hold her  
I've gotta live with the choices I made  
And I can't live with myself today_

 _Here we are, now you're in my arms  
I never wanted anything so bad  
Here we are, for a brand new start  
Living the life that we could've had_

 _Me and Elly walking hand in hand  
Me and Elly never wanna end  
Just another moment in your eyes  
I'll see you in another life  
In heaven where we never say goodbye_

 _Now that it's over  
I just wanna hold her  
I'd give up all the world to see  
That little piece of heaven looking back at me  
Now that it's over  
I just wanna hold her  
I've gotta live with the choices I made  
And I can't live with myself today_

 _Here we are, now you're in my arms  
Here we are for a brand new start  
Got to live with the choices I've made  
And I can't live with myself today_

 _Me and Elly walking hand in hand  
Me and Elly never wanna end  
Got to live with the choices I've made  
And I can't live with myself today_

 _Hey Elly, I remember your name_ "

Edward stared there in shock; had her teacher just sang a slightly altered version of "Lucy" by Skillet to a gravestone? And was he crying?!

"Elicia, I'm so sorry." Maes whispered as he cried in front of the gravestone.

Feeling sympathetic, Edward stopped over to her own loved one's grave and laid the flowers in her hands there.

"That was some nice singing there, Maes," Edward commented off-handily, "would you mind telling me who that song was for? Not that it's any of my business."

Maes stared at his student for a moment, watching as she arranged the lilies she brought with her on the gravestone in a certain order. He slowly turned his head and the light reflecting off his glasses made it impossible to see his eyes.

"It was for a little girl I once knew… Named Elicia." He said.

Edward paused in her arranging for a moment to listen to Maes's story.

"I met her 3 weeks after college. It was just when I had started dating Gracia and despite my temporary job as a garbage man and the smell that comes with it, she hadn't left me and I was, still am actually, very happy about that. That was how I found the little girl, stuffed in a rubbish bin, waiting for death to claim her. I rushed her to the hospital that Gracia had been working part time in and we find out that she doesn't have a name, her parents were beating her and by pretending to be dead, the girl convinced her parents to get rid of her." Maes took a breath, "Gracia and I decide to name her Elicia and raise her together, me in the day and Gracia whenever she was off work. We looked after 3-year-old Elicia for 2 years and on her 5th birthday, the anniversary of her rescue, the day I was finally going to officially adopt her, she died. In a hit and run accident just like the one Nina was in last week. The one you could have died in trying to save her."

As Maes began breaking down again, Edward moved to hug him and allowed her friend (friend, not just a teacher anymore) to use her shoulder as a pillow and from that day forth, Edward made a vow to herself.

Even if Maes acted like he didn't need her or anyone else to help him, even if he decided to go back to being student-teacher, she was going to be there for him.

Even though she was just a Fallen, she would be the Angel at his side, just as he had been for her, even if it killed her.

That was Edward's vow; and she always kept her vows.


	10. Chapter 8: I'm Not Alone

"May," A distant voice called to May from outside the land of dreams, "time to wake up. We have to go to Court today."

Groaning groggily, the young Xingese girl opened her bright green eyes, forcing herself to prepare for the day ahead that would no doubt be tiring. Her pale complexion was high-lighted by the rays of sunlight seeping through the windows as the white curtains swayed with the wind. From the side of the white-sheeted bed she was lying in, May spotted Edward sitting on the edge of it, the red dressing gown she wore being slightly crumpled from probably having slept in it and the kind smile she added to the picture was tainted with tiredness and dread.

May lowered her head in shame, mumbling almost incoherently, "I'm sorry for putting you through all of this."

The golden haired blonde gave a smile of sympathy and gently patted the Xingese girl's head, chuckling slightly as she spoke, "It's fine, I'm a lazy ass anyway, it gave me something to do for once."

Giggling, since Edward had seemed to enjoy sleeping whenever she could, making her statement about being lazy somewhat true, May lifted her head from it's shameful position and smiled, a new energy filling her, allowing a spark of hope to flash in her eyes and a strength she thought she lost to begin to rejuvenate itself within her.

PAUSE! I know what you're thinking, "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE, AUTHOR-SAN?!" Calm down, Reader-san, I'll explain right now.

Remember how May was being abused by her mother Elizabeth (and Lan-Fan)? Well, all the evidence has finally been gathered and now it was the day of the court case to be discussed with the Judge, Defendant and all those shenanigans. All the Hohenheim kids and Roy were going to be there to give their statements and then they'd leave to hear of the outcome later.

When the outcome was decided, then the guys would decide what to do about May.

PLAY!

Edward gave May one final smile and look of encouragement, a look promising she'd always be there for her, and then left to let her get dressed. May smiled softly and began to prepare for what would probably be one of the biggest days of her life.

…

A couple hours later, we have the gang piling out of a sleek black car (" _What did Roy call it? A Ford Mustang?_ " May asked herself) and slowly turning to look at the building in front of them; they had all been in it before for a tour. Now they were going in for the court.

May slightly tightened the hold she had on Alphonse's hand, who took a step closer to her in response so their shoulders touched. Edward placed her flesh hand on May's shoulder to show her support while Nina took the girl's other hand.

"Let's go. There's no turning back now." Roy stated.

Everyone nodded and walked forwards, into the building that would undoubtedly change May's life forever.

…

During the court, no one was really sure what to expect, but after finding a secretary and being shown where to go, things became fairly simple. They were told to sit in a room to wait for their turn to be called up to make their statements as witness/victim. Alphonse had asked if he could go with May when it was her turn, but he was told that each statement was to be said alone.

After everyone had been called up to give their statements, they were free to go since someone there said they would call when the decision was made.

Roy said that they should have a party to celebrate getting through this; everyone agreed to relax and enjoy themselves a little bit, but May still felt nervous.

…

"Hello. And who are you?" Edward demanded, glare intensifying.

Standing in front of her was a woman with two men, each of them wearing black suits. In the living room, the kids and Hughes couple (who had arrived for a surprise visit) stopped watching a movie upon hearing the apprehensive and rude tone that Edward was speaking in; it meant something was wrong and her good mode had plummeted into the bottom of the world.

The woman stepped forwards. She had extremely short, dark rose coloured hair, turquoise eyes, pale skin and a cheek mole under her left eye. "My name is Maria Ross. The two gentlemen with me are my fiancé Denny Brosh-"

"Hi there." The man with dark blonde hair in a style similar to Edward's, green eyes and tanned skin said with a gentle and caring smile.

Maria continued, "-and the other man is Heymans Breda."

The man with an admirably bloated stomach, a ruffle of orange hair on top of his head (with army-cut side-bangs), tanned skin, a beard and beady green eyes nodded, his mouth in a tight line, "Yo. We're from Central's foster system."

"And may I ask why you're here? Our parents haven't disowned any of us, last I checked and I'm pretty sure I'd be the first to know if they decided to ship us off somewhere." Edward demanded.

"Actually," Denny cut in, "we're here for May Chang."

"Me?" May asked, running up and peeking out from under Edward's arm, glancing at the adults in confusion, "What do you have to do with me?"

"Well, sweetheart," Maria bent down so her knees here to her chin so she could be eye-level with May, "do you remember the court case about your mother's abuse on you that happened a week ago?"

May nodded, "Something like that isn't the sort of thing someone forgets about easily."

"Well, you see, since the court decided that you're going to have to go into the foster system, we came to pick you up." Maria explained in a soothing and reassuring tone.

At May's gasp and Edward's widened eyes, Heymans looked at the group in confusion, "You didn't already know?"

"No, we didn't and I am not allowing you to take May away from us." Edward stated, stepping forwards in front of the Xingese girl and stretching her arm out in front of her, protectively.

The 3 adults seemed surprised by this, but Denny was soon trying to get things to calm down, "Sorry, Miss, but you don't really have a say in this, not unless you're May's legal guardian and I think you're a bit too young to have any legal right to her."

"This is my property; I clean here, I cook here, I live here making it my property and everyone who lives in it is my responsibility. I've been looking after May just fine on my own and she is happy here; I will not let you put her into that heartless world of uncaring assholes!" The blonde growled.

Heymans glared slightly at the golden-haired blonde, "Kid, I doubt you know anything about the foster system-"

"DON'T CALL ME A KID!" Edward screamed, feeling that 'kid' was a word related to small, "AND DON'T TALK TO ME AS IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT MY DAMN PAST! NOW GET OFF MY PROPERTY OR I'LL CALL THE FUCKING COPS!"

The 3 adults recalled back in shock from the outburst while everyone came running to the door.

"What is going on, here?" Maes asked when he arrived on the scene.

Maria sighed, glad there was an adult to talk to, "Sir, I'm Maria Ross and I'm here with my colleagues, Heymans Breda and Denny Brosh, to-"

"THESE BASTARDS JUST CAME WALTZING UP TO MY FRONT DOOR, DEMANDING I FEED MAY TO THE LIONS IN THE FOSTER SYSTEM!" Edward interrupted, glaring with such ferocity at the 3 representatives of the foster system, they felt as if pins and needles were climbing up their spines. "I WON'T LET MAY OR ANYONE ELSE IN MY HOUSE DEAL WITH THAT FAKE CRAP ABOUT CARING ABOUT THE CHILD'S NEEDS THAT THE FOSTER SYSTEM TRIES FEEDING US!"

"So, they're going to put May in the foster system?" Gracia asked, coming into the conversation, "Why?"

"Because apparently the court forgot to call us to say they deemed a bunch of heartless strangers better parents then the abusing Elizabeth!" Edward hissed, "I've been in the bloody foster system, so don't try to sell me that crap about caring about the child's needs and well-being and shit like that; all they care about is the extra cash taking care of the child brings in!"

Maes and Gracia glanced at each other, while Roy, Rio and Alphonse went to restrain Edward, who they thought was about to attack the adults. The married couple nodded, smiled to each other.

"Then we'll adopt her." Maes said, taking a step forwards and placed his hand on May's shoulder.

Heymans, Denny and Maria blinked in surprise while the Hohenheim kids, Roy and May stared at Gracia and Maes in shock.

"Really?" May asked, staring at the couple in shock, "Yo-you will?"

"Of course we will, sweetie." Gracia promised.

Maes nodded, "We were afraid that the court would decide to throw you into the foster system, so we talked about it for a while and decided we'd adopt you if it came to that."

"You…" Alphonse gasped, "you guys knew about it?"

Edward sighed, "It was me."

All eyes turned to the golden haired/eyed girl in shocked. She glared slightly, "I tried not to, I didn't know anything about courts so I asked Maes if he knew anything and he said 'I know why you're asking me this'. I asked how he knew about May, thus accidentally screwing up the secret; he tricked me, damn it."

Rick chuckled, "Well, you aren't always the sharpest knife in the kitchen."

"Whatever." Edward huffed.

Maria blinked, "Then I guess… We won't have to take you in, May."

"But only if you agree to it." Heymans added.

May nodded her head as fast as humanly possible. She had gotten to know Hughes and Gracia well and they were wonderful people. They treated her like their own daughter already and it made her real so warm and cherished, she almost cried a few times. With that confirmation, Heymans, Maria and Denny turned to each other.

"Marie, are you sure this is a good idea?" Denny asked.

Maria nodded, "I used to know Hughes in the Academy and I know he'd make a good parent; he used to tell me the only reason he wanted to be a soldier was so he'd be strong enough to protect the woman he loved, but hadn't met yet."

Heymans snorted, "Well if he was planning on something like this since he was a teenager, who are we to stop him?"

Denny sighed, "I just hope our boss won't ring our necks for it."

With that, they turned around, said their goodbyes and left the families/friends alone, all of them braking out into big smiles.

…

Meanwhile, Lan-Fan could be seen kicking a can as she walked down an empty street, tears running down her face. She hadn't know her mother was going to court (much less jail) and when workers from the foster system arrived, she had run off as fast as a rocket. But now, here she was, alone on the streets with no food, money or reputation anymore. The only reason people at school liked her was because she had all that money and the honour of being a model's daughter; how many kids could say that? No one else in the school could and that's why people clung to her the way they did.

All but Edward. She had been the only person in the entire school who didn't respond to her charms and awesome looks, but she hadn't meant for it to get her bullied. Personally, Lan-Fan half blamed Edward for getting her reputation as Ice Queen and half blamed herself for starting it. She had first met the golden-haired/eyed girl when they were first years, she thought she could make an awesome friend, 1: for her unique and beautiful appearance and 2: she looked like the type to have a good personality. But when Lan-Fan had tried out her usual charms on Edward, the smile on her face literally melted away, was replaced by a scowl and she said:

"I don't like people who use their beauty and status to make themselves out to be important; they annoy the heck out of me. If you want my respect, you have to urn it by being yourself, first."

Lan-Fan had been so shocked, she didn't know what had surprised her more; the words that didn't make sense or the fact that one of her new friends punched Edward for speaking like that to her. Though she would never say it out-loud, Lan-Fan admired Edward. For her independence, her ability not to be effected by other people's thoughts of her, how she wasn't afraid to be herself instead of a stereotype to get by high school easier. Edward was everything Lan-Fan had always wished she had the courage to be, but now…

"Now I'm nothing but a lonely loser…" Lan-Fan sobbed to herself in shame.

"You don't have to be, ya know."

Gasping at the voice, Lan-Fan world around in a frantic panic, "Who are you?!"

"Why, just someone who can help you get your future back together." And out of the shadows stepped Dante.

Lan-Fan gasped, "Mrs. Hohenheim! What are you doing here?"

Oh yeah, Edward's parents were another reason Lan-Fan wanted the girl as a friend; Lan-Fan loved the fashions that Dante wore on the cat-walk, she had been her main inspiration as a child and she was hopping she'd get to meet her hero through Edward.

Dante smiled and waved her hand, "No need for formalities, Lan-Fan, I just wanted to talk to you for a little while. Actually, I have a little job for you to do."

"Of course, Dante, I'd do anything for you, you're like my idol!" Lan-Fan smiled, using all her will-power to stop herself from fangirling.

"Good," The adult said, "because I heard you were a fellow classmate of my eldest daughter, Edward, right?"

"Oh yeah!" The teen giggled, "I won't lie, we're not best friends or anything, but I personally think she's pretty cool."

Dante sighed, "What if I told you that the reason your mother's in jail right now is in fact my eldest daughter?"

Lan-Fan froze, "W-w-what?"

"Edward had a feeling that May was being abused by your mother and so forced her to tell her the truth," Dante explained, "the court hearing happened a bit earlier today and that's why your mother was arrested; she was proven guilty."

"No… i-it was… Edward's fault that my mother was," Lan-Fan sniffed as she felt the beginning of tears, "arrested?"

Dante shrugged almost uncaringly, "That's one way to look at it. That's kinda why I wanted to speak with you."

Lan-Fan lifted her head, "With me?"

Dante nodded, "Your mother, Elizabeth, was a good friend of mine and I think that Edward deserves to be punished for getting her arrested. I want you to torment her at school and, well, anywhere else you can."

"But," Lan-Fan found herself asking, "but why? You just said that Edward was your eldest daughter and normally-"

"Legally, I am her step mother and that makes her my eldest daughter, but when it comes to blood, she means nothing to me," Dante explained, "and she has been so full of attitude lately; I want her to suck it up and start learning some manners and if it has to be by the hard way, then so be it."

At the sight of Lan-Fan's doubtful look, Dante decided to pull her trump card, "And if you do this well enough, then I'll recommend you to my boss."

Lan-Fan gasped, "You mean you'll get me on a cat-walk? A real one on live TV?!"

"I think I'll be able to get you into my work place, if you'd be willing to teach Edward some manners." Dante stated.

The black-haired Xingese girl took a moment to think. She no longer admired Edward, plus she had gotten her orphaned and that was not something Lan-Fan was willing to forgive just yet, even if she did it to help May. And she had always wanted to be a model working along side Dante…

"Okay," Lan-Fan extended her hand, which Dante took to shake, "I'll do it. The bitch won't know what hit her and with the school at my feet, they'll be all too happy to follow my example."

Dante smirked a sinister smile, "Glad to know we have an agreement; you are your mother's girl, Elizabeth would be proud of you."

" _Yeah, but will I be after this?_ " A voice nagged in the back of Lan-Fan's head.

…

At dinner time, the next day at school, Edward had taken her usual spot at one of the smaller tables by the window of the cafeteria, eating quietly on her own.

"There she is!"

Lifting her head, Edward smiled slightly as Sheska, Roy, Kain and Riza came to join her.

"Hey guys," Edward greeted as Roy sat beside her and Sheska across from her, "how were your last classes?"

"Okay," Roy shrugged as Kain across from him and Riza on Kain's other side, "it would have been even better if I got to look at your pretty face, though."

"If that happened then you wouldn't get any work done." Kain chuckled.

"You're one to talk, Mr I-Got-Called-Out-In-Class-By-A-Teacher-For-Staring-At-My-Girlfriend-When-I-Should-Have-Been-Listening." Sheska nudged him slightly.

Riza chuckled, "My last lesson was relevantly uneventful."

"What about you, Ed?" Sheska asked, "How was your last lesson?"

Edward shrugged, "Uneventful."

"Hey there."

Edward and the gang turned around to find Lan-Fan standing behind them, a plastic bowl of pudding in her hands. She giggled stupidly as she sat down on the empty seat next to Roy, putting on a flirty grin.

"Hi there." Roy said in a confident but not cocky tone.

"I know I may have come across as a bit of a bitch in homeroom on your first day, but I'm not really like that and I just wanted to say I'm so sorry you had to see such a horrible side to me. I'm Lan-Fan Chang, by the way and who are you, hot-stuff?" Lan-Fan asked, smiling politely.

"Roy Mustang, at your service." Roy gave a charming smile, one he used for all the girls.

"So, Roy," Lan-Fan nuzzled against him, "what brought you here?"

Roy shrugged slightly, "The bus, I guess."

Lan-Fan laughed, "Oh you're so funny, I love boys with a sense of humor."

She climbed on the table, sat on it and lift her skirt a bit. Edward continued to eat her meal in disinterest, ignoring the scene in front of her, leaving Lan-Fan shocked " _IS THAT BITCH FUCKING BLIND OR SOMETHING?! CAN'T SHE TELL THAT I'M FUCKING FLIRTING WITH HER MAN HERE?! Oh, Hell no, I am not having this, I will not be ignored!_ "

"So, what are you doing here, Roy?" Lan-Fan giggled, "You like windows or something?"

Roy shrugged, "Not particularly, I just enjoy the company I have with me."

"Well, if you like the company of an okay looking flat girl," Lan-Fan twitched when she noticed the insult hadn't effected Edward, "then I'm sure you'd love the company of a beautiful woman like myself. Why not sit with me at my table with the rest of us girls?"

The dark-haired boy shrugged again, "Nah, I prefer modest company to flashy company. I think your posy is beginning to miss you."

The dark-haired girl suppressed a growl, "Oh well, I guess you can't have 'em all, huh?"

With that Lan-Fan got up, pretended to slip on something and 'accidentally' dumped her pudding bowl on Edward's head. Everyone gasped.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Edward," Lan-Fan faked a gasp, "let me help clean it!"

Lan-Fan took a hanker chief from her pocket, get a bit closer to Edward's face and then whispers in her ear, "Daddy's little whore."

Edward froze up; all the other insults, she could take and pretend it didn't mean anything, but an insult like that…

"Actually, I just realized that if I get this cloth dirty, then I'll never get the strains out and it was a precious gift from my mother." Lan-Fan said, smirking cruelly as she stood back up, "I guess you're just going to have to enjoy a day of being a custard head, huh, Elric?"

Everyone gasped at Lan-Fan. Roy growled and glared at the girl; he made a move to stand up and attack her, "YOU LITTLE-"

"Hold your damn horses, Mustang!" Edward growled, grabbing his arm and pulling it back, "I'm fine, okay, it's just a bit of pudding, nothing that won't come out with a bit of water."

With that, Edward took the bowl off her head, stood up and walked away with her head held low. Once again, she was blessed to hear the other people whispering.

"Wow, pink pudding looks really good in the Ice Queen's hair, right?"

"Totally, man, I bet she feels so ugly and stupid!"

"Serves the bitch right."

"I would say we should give 3 cheers for Lan-Fan for that one. And I think when she was flirting with that Roy guy she lifted her skirt a bit! I am so jealous of that bastard!"

"And did you see how she didn't even look at them when Lan-Fan was flirting with her man? How can she not care if someone was flirting with her boyfriend?"

"Maybe he's not her boyfriend? Maybe, they're just friends with benefits?"

"That sure sounds like something the Ice Queen would be involved in. How much do you think she pays?"

"Considering the cheap cloths she wears, not a lot. Or maybe she's the one paying him?"

"No way, Roy has more class then that, as if he'd take money from trash like her."

"But you have to admit, that's horrible. I mean, did you see them in homeroom on the first day? He just fell to a knee as if to pledge his eternal loyalty to her and she was as cold as ice, just like always. She doesn't deserve someone like Roy being there for her."

"Agreed. How'd she get Sheska and Kain to sit with her is beyond me. They are, like, the kindest people in this Hellhole and Edward's the cruelest. Why in Hell would they associate with her?"

"Maybe they were threatened by her or she's paying them to pretend to be her friends because she wants to trick any new students into thinking she isn't such a hard ass?"

"Just so she could sneak attack them later? So like her. I bet behind closed doors, she treats them like shit."

"That would so be like her, heartless bitch."

Edward pulled the cafeteria doors away from her, stepped through them and then they closed behind her, silently. Sheska and the others looked between each other, worry edging into their faces. Roy growled lowly and glared at the ground.

"Okay, that's enough." Riza finally said, standing up.

The rest of the gang looked at her, among each other and nodded.

…

In the girls' bathroom, Edward looked at herself in the mirror, feeling sick with herself as a hundred questions ran through her head; how did Lan-Fan know? Did she even know or was she just trying out new insults? Why was she suddenly harassing her herself instead of letting her cronies do it? Why had she been flirting with Roy? Why did he turn her down? Were those idiots right about her being cold to the one person who was nice to her without knowing how she was before High School? Was she going to lose Roy because she really was a hard-assed bitch? Was she going to lose Sheska, Kain and Riza, too?

"Edward!"

Gasping, Edward turned her head towards the door to the girls' room where Sheska and Riza were standing there, both of their faces holding concern and care for her. Before she could register what was happening, Sheska had run over and brought her into a hug while Riza was handing her a tissue.

"Oh, Edward, I'm so sorry I didn't say anything to Lan-Fan, I'm sorry I let that happen to you, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" Sheska continued with the 'I'm sorry' while Riza stood there with a tissue offered in her hand, "Here, you look like you need it."

Hesitantly, Edward took the tissue into her hand, "Th-thank you." She only realized she was crying and sniffling when she heard her voice.

Riza's eyes of concern saddened while Sheska's grip on her tightened. Guilt attacked her heart like a virus, so Edward forced a smile and chuckled slightly.

"I'm okay, girls, really," Edward used the tissue Riza offered her, "I just needed to cry a little bit, ya know? We girls always have days like that. Can I have, like, one more minute to myself, please girls?"

Though hesitant, Sheska and Riza nodded, left the room and Edward did the only thing that she believed she could do to stop herself from crying anymore; put her headphones in and listen to a favorite song. And right now only one song came to mind; "Stand In The Rain" by Superchick.

" _She never slows down.  
She doesn't know why  
but she knows that when she's all alone,  
feels like its all coming down  
She won't turn around  
The shadows are long and  
she fears if she cries that first tear,  
the tears will not stop raining down_

 _So stand in the rain  
Stand your ground  
Stand up when it's all crashing down  
You stand through the pain  
You won't drown  
And one day, whats lost can be found  
You stand in the rain_

 _She won't make a sound  
Alone in this fight with herself  
and the fears whispering  
if she stands she'll fall down  
She wants to be found  
The only way out is through everything  
she's running from  
wants to give up and lie down._

 _So stand in the rain  
Stand your ground  
Stand up when it's all crashing down  
You stand through the pain  
You won't drown  
And one day, whats lost can be found  
You stand in the rain_

 _So stand in the rain  
Stand your ground  
Stand up when it's all crashing down  
Stand through the pain  
You won't drown  
And one day, whats lost can be found_

 _So stand in the rain  
Stand your ground  
Stand up when it's all crashing down  
You stand through the pain  
You won't drown  
And one day, whats lost can be found  
You stand in the rain_"

Now sure that she won't cry anymore, Edward took her headphones out, walked out of the bathroom and was surprised by the sight that greeted her. It was Sheska, Riza, Kain and Roy, all standing there, waiting for her while Roy held her bag of things she had forgotten.

"Here." Roy held her bag to her and she took it, "Thanks.

"Who's up for a strawberry cheesecake once school ends?" Sheska offered.

"Why not ditch now? It's not like any of us have any important classes to go to." Kain smiled.

"I know a small café that opened up a little while ago, I'd like to give it a try." Riza added.

"I'll pay for everything." Roy volunteered.

Edward looked between her friends in astonishment and felt the beginning of tears in the corner of her eyes. Shaking her head, she smiled.

"Guys." She called.

Everyone stopped walking towards the field so they could escape without anyone seeing them and turned around so they were facing Edward. She blushed a little as she thought of what she was about to do, but decided it was necessary.

"I know that everyone in that cafeteria is right. Ice Queen Edward is a hard-assed bitch who lacks emotions and hates everyone, but despite that, you guys were still willing to be friends with me, Ed. Ed, the girl who hates her reputation, all the whispers about her being a slut, all the crap she has to deal with in high school and yet you guys made it all better by being there and I guess I," Edward swallowed a bit, "I guess what I'm trying to say is… 'Thank you'. I know I'm a horrible person, but thank you for being there for me because I… I think I really needed a friend lately. Thank you all so much."

The others stared at her in shock, but then yelled 'awww' and tackled her in a group hug. Edward stumbled for a moment, but then giggled and let them hug her.

"You are anything but a horrible person, Ed." Kain said.

"You're stubborn and don't always show how much you care by being affectionate, but you do none the less and that doesn't make you a hard-ass." Riza stated.

"We love you, Ed, you're amazing and I wish that you knew that all the crap that those jerks in the cafeteria are saying is just gossip that no one actually cares about or believes." Sheska told her.

"You may be a bit short, but your heart is at least 20X the size of your body." Roy added.

"Just this once, I'll let that short comment go." Edward stated.

The group laughed, pulled away from the hug and started walking for the field again; Roy with his arm around Edward's shoulders while Sheska held her hand and smiled, as if to tell her she wasn't alone.

" _That's right,_ " Edward thought, " _I'm not alone anymore. Because I have these 4 amazing people in my life along with Al, May, Rio, Rick and Neen back home. I'm not alone now and I wasn't alone then; it just took some time for me to understand that, I think. I'm not alone._ "

And finally being able to say that, made Edward the happiest she had felt in a long, long time.


	11. Chapter 9: The Taboo Twins and A Party

The next time the gang ate in the lunch hall, things were disturbingly quiet; or at least, they were to Edward's ears.

"Something's not right." She stated as soon as they all sat down in their usual arrangements.

Roy looked at her oddly, "How come, darling?"

"It's too quiet." Edward stated, "And don't call me 'darling' or I'll chop your boyhood off."

Riza, Sheska and Kain snickered.

"That aside," Riza cleared her throat, "what do you mean it's too quiet? I would say that yes, people aren't gossiping as loudly as they usually do, but it's still a fair amount of noise if you ask me."

"No one's talking about me," The golden-eyed girl stated, then hissed at herself when she realized how vain that sounded, "I've grown used to being the top issue of gossip around school because of my reputation as the Ice Queen, especially at Dinner time, but so far I haven't heard a word."

"Actually, now that you mention it," Sheska stepped in, "I haven't heard as many rumors floating around as before about you and people haven't been asking me as many questions as to why I hang out with you, either."

"And people haven't been giving you as many dirty looks since we all started hanging out more than usual." Kain added.

Everyone turned to look at Roy, accusingly. He held up his hands in surrender.

"Don't look at me!" He stated, "I swear I haven't done anything!"

They continued to give him the 'Yeah right' look.

"I mean it!" The black-haired boy stated.

While the others continued questioning him, Edward decided to try one more time to hear what the Hell was going on in her school.

"Did you see Lan-Fan's face when she got covered in custard in the middle of the class?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Didn't you hear? Last Monday, Lan-Fan Chang went up to answer one of the teacher's questions and show off a bit-"

"As usual."

"-and then, the tile above her head opened up and she got covered in custard!"

"Are you shitting me?!"

"No, dude, that really happened; I was there and got to see it for myself!"

"Someone had the balls to pull a prank on Queen Bee? Who was it?"

"Nobody knows, but everyone's making bets it was **them**."

"Who? Who's **them**?"

"Uh, hello! Twins of Disaster ring any bells?"

"You mean Paninya and Patrick?"

"I thought they were dating, not siblings."

"I thought they were twins, not dating."

"I tried asking them once, but they just told me that they were twins who were dating each other."

"Inset? Disgusting!"

"What a pair of freaks!"

"Well, how else could Lan-Fan get pranked? I doubt anyone else in this school has the balls to do it."

" _Is that's what's going on?_ " Edward asked herself, " _Are Paninya and Patrick performing dastardly deeds that are catching everyone's attention?_ "

She had heard of those two before, thought she'd never met them. They were Paninya and Patrick Gemstone; they were said to act like a couple even though they were twins (much to the disgust of most of the school, but not Edward). They were, according to rumors, on a mission to get more Detentions and In-Houses (day long detentions) in school than their parents did with their ridiculous pranks and stupid questions used to humiliate anyone they were directed to.

But they only pulled pranks on teachers, they never 'attacked' students (besides the seniors who had bullied Paninya on their first day of school), as far as Edward knew.

So, if it is the Gemstone Duo, what the Hell did Lan-Fan do to get under their skin like that?

…

While mitching (AN: Yes, it is a real word) a class, Edward decided to wander the halls a little bit. Hey, she wouldn't be a teenager if she didn't miss a class every once in a while and besides, everyone was screaming and acting like a bunch of little children since they had a substitute teacher who couldn't get them under control and get them to do their work. This was one of those classes where she didn't have her friends in, so she was mitching on her own and besides, she was ahead of practically the entire class by 2 weeks, so it was fine if she left for a little bit, right?

The blonde had no idea why, but she had found herself wondering among the cars in the car park of her school. A lot of the students and teachers owned their own cars and so, they often drove to school in them. The student population considered those who owned cars to be 'Elites' and as such, there Elites were either sucked up to, hated or loved. Lan-Fan was one of these students.

"Pat, pass me the white paint."

"You got it, honey."

Hearing the voices, Edward stepped a little bit closer in their direction, noticing that a half-painted car was there. And it was Lan-Fan's. Crouching down, the golden haired girl crept a little bit closer to see who was there and when she peaked around the car she was hiding behind, she was a little bit surprised with the sight.

It was a pair of teenagers with cans of spray paint around them and they were in what most would consider an intimate position, but looked completely relaxed.

The girl had short and straight dark brown almost black hair that was held back in a short pony-tail, dark ocean blue eyes and brown skin, like an Ishvalan's. She was wearing a black sleeveless top, baggy camouflage jeans and combat boats.

The boy looked almost exactly like the girl, only his hair was short and spiky instead of in a pony-tail, his skin was a shade darker and his eyes a shade brighter. He wore a camouflage short-sleeved shirt, black denim jeans and combat boats.

The boy was hugging the girl from behind and resting his head on her left shoulder while the girl was resting one of her arms on his and using the other to squirt the spray paint on to Lan-Fan's car. The boy glanced behind him, spotted Edward and yelped in surprise, causing the girl and Edward to also yelp.

"Who are you guys?" Edward asked, once everyone had calmed down a little.

The girl grinned, "I'm Paninya and this is my boyfriend, Patrick but you can call him Pat."

The boy waved, "Hi there. And you're Edward Elric, right? The so called Ice Queen of Campus."

Edward shrugged, casually, "That would be me. And I'm guessing you two are the Gemstone Duo that everyone is so afraid of."

The pair laughed, "That would be us!"

The golden haired girl asked, "Are you painting her car for a prank? And have you guys been the ones apparently pranking Lan-Fan this entire week? Why?"

"Yes, Yes and you see, we kinda admire you." Paninya began.

"You see," Patrick continued, "when we found out that Lan-Fan, who we never really liked, was picking on our favorite student idol, we decided to give her what she deserved."

"Everybody knows you won't fight back, not even once," Paninya finished, "so we decided to do the fighting for you. Do you wanna help us out?"

For a moment, Edward just stood there in shock. Ever since she came to this school for teenagers with bad attitudes, or that's what it seemed like, no one other than Maes had been kind to her. Some people would beat her up, others would laugh at her, some stayed quiet and a few called her names; but no one had ever told her they admired her. Not once.

Edward had no idea what came over her, "How about this instead; you guys come to my house on Friday for dinner as a thank you for having my back all this time?"

The couple nodded, "Sure if that's what you want! We'll be there at 7!"

BRING!

With the sound of the bell ringing and not wanting to miss her next class, which was Alchemy, Edward bid them goodbye and began running as fast as her legs could carry her back to the school building while Paninya and Patrick stayed to finish their paint job on Lan-Fan's car.

…

When Friday night came, Edward was in a bit of a panic. Sure, she had said they could come over, hell she was the one who invited them, but still she had no idea what to cook and it was 6:30pm already!

"Damn it, damn it, damn it." Edward muttered as she looked through the freezer.

Finally, she saw something that could save her ass and so, she pulled it out of the freezer and put it in the oven. She had decided that while her siblings were getting the house and themselves ready for guests, Edward would do the cooking and so far, things weren't going as planned as you could tell.

DING-DONG!

"Shit, they're early." Edward muttered and ran for the door, "Sorry guys, everything's a bit hectic and I'm not quite ready-"

"Hi Edward!"

Edward gasped and stared; that was not Paninya or Patrick's voice, but it was May's. And behind her stood Maes and Gracia, all three smiling.

"Hey there, Edward!" Maes grinned at her, "We heard you were having some friends over and after an invitation from Alphonse, we decided we'd come over, too."

Edward sighed and welcomed them in, "I can see that. Sorry, everything's kinda hectic right now because I couldn't get my act together and we're all rather finely spread around the house; but make yourselves at home."

The three walked in and instantly, Edward was running back into the kitchen to start chopping up the vegetables, but found it rather hard. Until she felt two hands gently grab her own and guiding her to another position.

"It'll take longer if you do it that way and you're more likely to cut yourself; just calm down a little, Ed."

The blonde gasped, turned her head, "Roy?! What the hell are you doing here?!"

Roy Mustang grinned as he helped the younger blonde cut up her vegetables, "Nina and Rick invited me."

Edward sighed and hung her head, "I wish they would tell me before they decide we have extra guests at our house."

Roy laughed softly at that and took his hands from over Edward's to place them around her waist instead, resting his head on her shoulder. Edward growled slightly (damn it, that felt like a physical short-joke and she didn't like it), but on the other hand… it was kinda nice to have Roy's body so near… only for the heat it provided.

Edward felt her face turning bright red as she felt Roy blowing on her ear, " _Don't think about heat, don't think about heat, don't think about heat, you're underage siblings, possible future-in-laws and friends are here, so don't you dare think about heat!_ "

"You having a little bit of trouble down there, Ed?" Roy asked, seduction heavy in his voice, "Or would you rather not be chopping that carrot and having it placed somewhere else."

Edward turned completely red from her eat-tips to her neck, hiding her embarrassment with anger, "FUCKING PERVERT!"

With a back hand to the face, the one that was holding the knife, Roy was down for the count, leaving Edward focusing on the vegetables once again, chopping at them furiously, her face still beat red trying to ignore the way her heart was beating as fast as she was chopping. And that was like, the speed of light.

Suddenly, an alarmed Alphonse and May came running into the kitchen, Alphonse calling, "Edward what's wrong?" and May added, "We heard yelling!"

But when they saw a bloody-nosed Roy and a blushing Edward cutting up the vegetables, the younger couple sweat-dropped, Alphonse chuckling sheepishly, "I guess Roy's here." And May agreeing with a sheepish chuckle, "Yeah."

…

About half an hour-later, with some help from Gracia, Roy and Maes, Edward managed to fix the table in time for not only the Gemstone Duo to arrive, but all of her other friends too; Sheska, Kain, Riza and Winry were there and to be honest, with so many people, it was a bit of a tight squeeze in the living room and that was the biggest room in the house.

Everyone was sat around the coffee table with a plate in front of each of them, chatting endlessly and clinking drinks every now and then.

Alphonse was being feed by May, making him blush while she cooed and giggled. While he had some of the food in his mouth, May whispered something in his ear that made him turn red and splutter and choke, leaving May in a worried state as she patted Alphonse on the back and apologized.

Rio and Rick were laughing at Alphonse being mushy with May behind his back, occasionally making gagging notions or imitating the two, only to get scolded by Nina who watched the couple with a dreamy smile, saying how she'd like to have a love like that when she got older.

Patrick and Paninya were laughing and bumping their drinks together as if they were at a bar, occasionally getting up and doing a silly antic, or telling someone (mainly Riza) a joke to make them laugh, but it proved a near impossible task.

Sheska and Kain sat very close to each other, shoulders and knees bumping as they sat on the couch with their food in their laps, leaning on each other as they watched everyone else go about their antics.

Maes and Gracia were snuggling up on the sofa, grinning at each other and Gracia started talking about how it was wonderful to see so many laughing, happy children in front of them and Maes began swooning over the thought of when they have their own child.

Roy, Winry and Riza were absorbed in conversation, smiling and laughing every now and then coming from Winry, smug smirks from Roy and small, sly grins from Riza. The trio looked somewhat like a pair of sisters and a boyfriend right then and there.

Edward suddenly felt irrational jealousy of Riza at that though, but then caught herself, " _Why would I be jealous of Riza?_ "

"Hey everyone!" Rio called, snapping Edward out of her thoughts as he and Rick pulled out three boxes, "Let's play some board games now that all the food it gone!"

Everyone agreed to the idea and went at it for about an hour, occasionally players switching games in order to beat the champions. In the end, Riza ended up being the champion of 4-In-A-Row, Paninya was the best at Snakes-And-Ladders and Patrick was the champion of Mouse-Trap.

After playing the games for a while, Edward and the other Hohenheim children busted out the Anime movies from "The Wolf Children: Ame and Yuki", to "Summer Wars" even "The Boy and The Beast". By the end of the movie fest, everyone was still full of energy and so, to burn it off, Maes proposed an idea.

"Turn on the radio!" He called.

Roy grinned and did as he was told and instantly, a song everyone in that room new came on.

And it made Edward grin, "I love this song."

" _Right, right, turn off the lights  
We're gonna lose our minds tonight  
What's the dealio?  
I love when it's all too much  
5 a.m. turn the radio up  
Where's the rock 'n roll?_

 _Party crasher, panty snatcher  
Call me up if you're a gangsta  
Don't be fancy, just get dancy  
Why so serious?_

 _So raise your glass if you are wrong  
In all the right ways, all my underdogs  
We will never be, never be anything but loud  
And nitty, gritty, dirty, little freaks  
Won't you come on and come on and  
Raise your glass!  
Just come on and come on and  
Raise your glass!_

 _Slam, slam, oh hot damn  
What part of a party don't you understand?  
Wish you'd just freak out (Freak out already)  
Can't stop, coming in hot  
I should be locked up right on the spot  
It's so on right now (It's so fucking on right now)_

 _Party crasher, panty snatcher  
Call me up if you're a gangsta  
Don't be fancy, just get dancy  
Why so serious?_

 _So raise your glass if you are wrong  
In all the right ways, all my underdogs  
We will never be, never be anything but loud  
And nitty, gritty, dirty, little freaks  
Won't you come on and come on and  
Raise your glass!  
Just come on and come on and  
Raise your glass!  
Won't you come on and come on and  
Raise your glass!  
Just come on and come on and  
Raise your glass!_

 _Oh shit! My glass is empty  
That sucks!_

 _So if you're too school for cool (I mean)  
And you're treated like a fool (You're treated like a fool)  
You can choose to let it go  
We can always, we can always party on our own_

 _So raise your (oh, fuck)  
So raise your glass if you are wrong  
In all the right ways, all my underdogs  
We will never be, never be anything but loud  
And nitty, gritty, dirty, little freaks_

 _(So raise your glass if you are wrong)  
So raise your glass if you are wrong  
In all the right ways, all my underdogs  
We will never be, never be anything but loud  
And nitty, gritty, dirty, little freaks  
Won't you come on and come on and  
Raise your glass!  
Just come on and come on and  
Raise your glass!  
Won't you come on and come on and  
Raise your glass for me!  
Just come on and come on and  
Raise your glass for me!  
For me_"

After singing and dancing to "Raise Your Glass" by P!nk, Edward decided that was enough for one night, "Okay everyone, I hate to be a party popper, but I think it's time we all went home."

"But look outside!" Nina pointed, "It's raining really hard out there!"

And indeed, it was. It was dark, rainy… That was a disaster waiting to happen.

Edward sweat-dropped, "Actually, how about we turn this into a sleep-over thing?"

Everyone agreed to the idea and so, sorted the arrangements. All the girls slept in Edward's room, the boys in Rio and Rick's and the Hughes Couple borrowed Alphonse's room. Almost all night long, the kids stayed up, chatting about anything and everything while Maes and Gracia tried to get a little bit of sleep and you wanna know what happened to Edward?

She fell asleep, singing "Raise Your Glass", making Winry snicker.

 **(Does anyone know any "Thank you Father" songs done from the Daughter's POV? I really need one for the next chapter, people.)**


	12. Chapter 10: A New Father in Town

A few weeks later, Edward found she had a night shift she needed to do at the cafe and had no one to look after her younger siblings and Roy. So, she called the only adults she really trusted.

"Hello?" Maes Hughes' voice said over the phone.

"Hi, Maes. It's me, Ed." Edward Elric responded.

"Ed? What's up, you don't call normally?"

"Well, I need to ask you for a favor."

"What kind of favor?"

"I've got a night shift to take at the cafe, so do you think you could look after the kids for a night?"

"Sure thing, Ed, just tell us when."

"I know 3 days is a bit of short notice, but I was only told about 3 hours ago."

"No, it's fine. I'll tell Gracia and you make sure your siblings are ready."

"Got it. Thanks so much, Maes, you're a life saver."

"No problem, Ed; just don't work yourself too hard… and while you're at it, get yourself a boyfriend."

With a phone slammed shut, Edward knew instantly she was going to somewhat regret this.

…

After her night shift was over, Edward went straight home, knowing the Hughes couple, probably Roy and her siblings were there. She walked through the front door silently, closing it behind her.

"Oh, Edward, you're home." Maes's voice called.

Edward nodded, "I managed to finish cleaning the shop a bit earlier then I thought I would."

"I thought it was a night shift?" Gracia's voice questioned, then her eyes widened, "And what happened to your hair?"

The blonde teenager flinched at the second question as she turned around, "Yeah, the last person leaving has to do the cleaning. It's kinda a silent agreement among everyone working there and personally, I don't mind it too much. But that could be the OCD talking and telling me 'Everything Must Be Clean'. As for the hair-cut, I just felt like a change."

"You have OCD?" Maes asked in shocked, sitting on the couch with Gracia beside him.

The blonde shrugged, smiling, "Not really; I just can't stand seeing a dirty room and wither I've been given permission or not, I'll start cleaning it up. It isn't OCD but my Asperger Syndrome talking."

Gracia's eyes widened in surprise, "You have ASD."

"Technically, it's ASC now since they changed it from Disorder to Condition," Edward lightly corrected as she untied her shoes, "but yeah I do. I also have, what I like to call, Mild Dyslexia with Languages and my siblings all have some variation of the stuff. Alphonse has regular Autism and ADHD. Rick and Rio both have Autism and Severe Dyslexia; with Rick, it affects his Maths and Rio his Languages. And little Nina has the whole package; Asperger Syndrome, ADHD and Mild Dyslexia with Maths. We think it's a little something that helps keep us together and it doesn't hurt to all be interested in the same thing, Anime." She chuckled at the end as she took of her shoes.

"Speaking of Anime," Maes said as he sat up slightly straighter, "would you like to put some on?"

Edward looked up in surprise at the two adults, momentarily dumbfound, "A-are you guys sure?"

Maes and Gracia turned to each other, smiled and then nodded at the blonde, the woman adding, "We'd love to watch some with you, Ed. Just pick a title."

For a moment, all was silent, but then Edward grinned, "How do you guys feel about a show about a bunch of dead teenagers with horrible lives meeting together in the afterlife and fighting angels?"

Maes made a thinking pose with his chin in his hand, but then nodded, "Sure, why not?"

Edward grinned and began setting things up while Maes called over his shoulder as he walked into the kitchen, "I'll make us some toast". She switched the TV from Sky to Netflix and almost instantly, the Angel Beat theme song was playing.

"Alright, Ed, tell me the truth." Gracia called, Maes's humming as he made some toast a vague background from the kitchen.

Edward turns to the woman, a look of confusion in her eyes as the bangs that used to hid them but now stopped right above her eye brows rested on her forehead, "What do you mean, Gracia?"

"Why is your hair cut like that?" Before Edward could answer, Gracia cut in, "And don't tell me you felt like a change, I know you love having your hair like that, you told me that yourself."

Edward silently cursed herself, but then shrugged, "I don't know, I don't exactly have a lot of impulse control."

That was a half-lie. The truth of the matter was that Dante, who had somehow found out where she worked, had cornered her there and after forcing sex on her, cut her hair and nearly her eye-brows off as well. The witch had cackled and said she'd take off all her hair if she ever so much as heard Edward was hanging out with her friends again, but that didn't stop the impulsive blonde.

If she stopped hanging out with her friends (again) they'd know something was up and if they realized it, then everything would be over. All those years of suffering, all those years of making herself come off as a horrible, rotten bitch would be for nothing. She needed to keep people away from her and away from the possibility of her parents being discovered as abusive.

 _So why had she gotten with them?_

A little voice in the back of her head kept nagging at her, asking why she was so stupid to let herself get involved with people again. She was risking so much, just to have them around. They could easily discover what's going on at home whenever her parents were in fact home.

 _Is all this risk really worth it?_

"Edward!"

"Huh?" The blonde snapped from her thoughts and turned to Gracia, smiling sheepishly, "Sorry, I wasn't listening, what did you say Gracia?"

The woman sighed, "You do know that it's slightly rude to ignore someone. It's probably got something to do with the fact you watch too much Anime..."

The teenager glared, "My hobbies have nothing to do with this conversation, I'm just tired."

The woman smiled again, "but I love you anyway."

" _WHAT?_ " Edward thinks in shock.

No one, except her siblings, had ever told her something like that so casually. Not since Trisha died.

"Hey, I finished the toast!" Maes called as he came into the room with 3 slices of buttered toast on the tanned plate in his hands.

"Oh thanks dear," Gracia smiled at her husband as she took the plate from his hands, "they look really good."

Edward still stared at the woman in shock, but Gracia just chuckled. Edward found herself blushing and turning her head away. Gracia smiled at Edward and turned back to the screen where a purple-haired boy with a scythe thing was attacking an orange-haired boy.

Maes watched the exchange with confusion in his expression.

…

After the end of the episode, Edward was standing up, "I better get to bed, it is a school night after all."

"Actually, Edward," Gracia called, gaining the teenager's attention, "I'd like to take you to the hairdressers to see what they can do for the hair cut if you don't mind? Something tells me you don't like it and let's all be honest here; it looks a little bit humiliating."

Edward looked like she was going to argue, "But I'll be late and I have a test in 1st Period!"

"So you can take it some other time."

"But-"

"Edward, I can see you really don't like your hair-cut-"

"But I don't like missing school more!"

"-so why not I take you to a hairdresser's since in the end, it's just a test. I know you get bullied at school; do you really want to give them a reason to laugh this time?"

Edward flinched at that, "I'm not being bullied and that's my decision to make."

"Well, either way," Gracia said, "I'm not going to let you go into school with your hair like that."

"Oh, fine!" Edward finally gives in, "I'll go to the stupid hairdresser's; but if I miss that test, I'm blaming you."

Gracia smiled at her, "That seems fair enough."

Edward sighed and began heading for the stares, calling over her shoulder, "Night you guys."

"Wait, Edward."

Internally signing, Edward turned her head and showed an exasperated expression, "What is it, Maes?"

"Come here for a second, okay?" He calls, "I need to ask you something."

Though confused and slightly apprehensive, Edward complies and walks over to where Maes was now standing. As soon as she was in arms' reach, he opened his mouth to speak.

"Can I hug you?"

Though shocked to the core by the question, Edward found herself nodding and suddenly, Maes had his arms around her arms and waist in a hug and a thought came to her, " _It's so kind and warm… Hohenheim never hugged me like this… Neither has Dante… I feel… cherished? Is that what I'm feeling? Oh dear Truth, please tell me I'm not dreaming!_ "

But she wasn't; she knew she wasn't because she was hugging him back (she could feel he was there) and crying (if she was sleeping, she would have woken up by now). She cried as she clung to his back and felt him rub some gentle and soothing circles between her shoulder blades with one hand while the other held her closer to him as he spoke words of comfort to her. Edward buried her face in his shoulder and muttered something while Gracia watched the scene from the side-lines, smiling herself.

If she could have, Edward would have stayed in that warm and caring hug for the entire night, but she was not a normal girl; she was Edward Elric and she had a little thing with not letting people see her being weak. But when she pulled away, she did not expect to see what she did.

Maes was rubbing his teary eyes. He had been crying too.

"Silly girl," He chuckled jokingly, "Why'd you have to go and make me cry like that?"

And for some ridiculous reason, Edward laughed and pouted at him, "Hey, you made me cry first!"

The two glared at each other for a moment, but then chuckled and fell back into the hug they were previously in. Gracia stood up and coughed into her hand softly, gaining the pair's attention.

Gracia smiled and held out her arms, "May I join in on the festivities?"

Maes and Edward chuckled and walked over to the woman and enveloped her in a three-way hug. Gracia gently brushed what remained of Edward's bangs out of her face in a motherly fashion while Maes knelled slightly to kiss the top of Edward's forehead.

Edward blushed and giggled at the contact, but she didn't reject it. It was nice to be treated like a daughter again instead of just a brat.

"I think it's getting a bit late, Ed." Gracia noticed, "You should probably go to bed right now. And while you're sleeping, think of what you'd like them to do with your hair."

Edward nodded as she pulled back from the hug and started heading for the stairs.

When she was out of ear shot, Maes smiled like a sentimental fool, "She called me Papa, Grace."

The blonde woman nodded, "I heard her, Maes. I heard her."

Maes rubbed at his slowly leaking eyes once more and turned around, back to the woman he loved first while his new 'daughter' went to sleep up stairs, "Let's put the radio on, or something."

"Sure thing, let's keep it quiet though." Gracia suggested, a finger to her lips.

Maes nodded and after turning the radio down slightly, they soon found that a song they both knew was on.

" _O, Papa sit down, and hear my song.  
O, and if you feel like it then please sing along  
No nothing that I wanna say, I haven't said before  
But to use your words, you can never be to sure_

 _See, even though. I don't always show.. I'm glad that you're along.  
Said I'm glad that you're around_

 _O sonny, so strange, to hear and see  
That someone so different is, a soul like me.  
You may have gone right, where I would have gone left.  
But son, that's alright. I will always have your back  
See even though. I don't always show.  
I'm proud of you, my son._

 _Old days, and all of the new wanting to be like you._

 _Every time I look at you. I see myself. I'm so proud of you.  
For you help make me what I am.  
A better man.  
I'm just so proud of you._

 _O dad, your views in life. Tell me how they came to be.  
Well see, I didn't know my father like the way that you know me._

 _Son, life is just too short. For us to never be in touch.  
That's why I Want to tell you that I love you very much.  
Oh even though, I don't always show. You know  
And I want you to know that._

 _Every time I look at you. I see myself. I'm so proud of you.  
For you help make me what I am.  
A better man.  
I'm just so proud of you._

 _I'm here and I'll be if I can A father and a friend._

 _Every time I look at you._

 _Every time I look at you. I see myself. I'm so proud of you.  
For you help make me what I am.  
A son and a friend.  
I'm just so proud of you.  
You know that one day too I'll be walking in your shoes  
Yeah, and I know that you'll do fine cause you're a son of mine  
Oh Hey papa tell me what you've learned so that I don't get my fingers burned  
Son you'll see that as you go you'll make mistakes of your own  
But that's okay man see you live and you learn  
You live and you learn_"

The irony was so accurate, it took all of Maes's inner-strength to laugh, "Alian Clark and his father singing 'Father & Friend' after a moment like that? Gee, since when did our lives turn into a musical?"

Gracia chuckled, "It is a bit ironic. Or it could be the fact that we're getting old."

…

Meanwhile, in Edward's room, she pulled her hand out from behind her book shelf and in her hand was a book with a sunset-covering that wasn't half as dusty as it should have been considering it was behind a book shelf. It was her secret diary.

Edward sat on her bed with her legs crossed and opened to the page she needed to write in. And felt her eyes drop out of her skull when she saw the date.

19th June, 2015  
Father's Day

Chuckling at the irony of it all, Edward began writing her latest entry.

 _Dear Diary,_

 _Today was strange. We got a pop-quiz from our teacher in maths, who hates pop quizzes as much as we do, Dante somehow found out that I hang out with my friends at school (I think she's got a spy there) and raped me at my job after hours (how'd she even know I was there?), saying unless I dumped them, she'd make things Hell for me. Please, as if things aren't always Hell in this horrible house._

 _But that wasn't the weirdest thing that happened today; Maes and Gracia asked to watch Anime with me and if they could hug me. No one's ever asked for permission to hug me before and I felt so warm and cherished and… for a moment, I actually thought that it was all an illusion, a figment of my imagination; but I was proven wrong when I started crying._

 _Damn it, I hate crying, it makes me look so weak and fragile. But I wasn't the only one crying because Maes was too while he hugged me and, don't you dare ever tell anyone this but, I called him 'Papa'. As in another word for 'father'. Something I never even called Hohenheim (not that I would)._

 _I think I'm getting dangerously close to people again. Dangerously close. Dante might try something with them, or Hohenheim might as well. I don't know what's going to happen, but I have to get away from them before they get hurt. I can't let Maes and Gracia get hurt over me. I can't._

 _Hopefully things will be better tomorrow._

 _Good Night, Diary._

 **(AN: I'm thinking of posting an Omake of Alphonse's and May's first date. Should I do it? And I hope no one minds, but I'm going to start referring to her as Mei instead of May, if that's okay. Hope to hear your opinions in the reviews please and sorry it's so short.)**


	13. RoyEd, Fem RoyEd or Fem RoyXEd

**Hi guys! No.1 DigiBakuFan here! Sorry I'm not here with a new chapter, but this is important!**

 **I was thinking of doing another version of the story, only instead of it being Fem!Ed it could just be normal, fully male Ed and this is where my problem starts: I don't know wither to change Roy into Fem!Roy or do my very first proper Yaoi story without gender-bending. Or if I should keep Ed a girl but still have a Fem!Roy in it. Either way, whatever version gets the most votes will still be a RoyEd story.**

 **Pretty please post your votes in the review box below.**

 **If you want a female Roy and male Ed version, write me "Fem!RoyXEd".**

 **If you want a male Roy and male Ed version, write me "RoyEd".**

 **If you want a female Roy and a female Ed version, write me "Fem!RoyEd".**

 **If you want no other versions of it, don't read it when I post it, please.**

 **I'll keep this note posted until I've completed the story and then I'll tell you in a sort of "Thanks for everything" chapter the results of the votes. It's going to be half-author note with personal "Thank you"s and half-epilogue thing that I haven't planned yet that'll be set 10 years after the end of the story. So think carefully and don't worry because you have plenty of time to chose.**

 **After that, I'll get to writing which ever one got the most votes. But people are welcome to write their own versions of whatever variation that loses the race to the top; please just give credit to me for the original idea, tell me you want to do it and don't start writing it until I've posted at least the first chapter of whatever one of the story variations that wins.**

 **So go on and vote for whatever you RoyEd variation want! What are you waiting for? :)**

 **P.S: I love all of my readers and I thank you all for your support because I wouldn't be here today if not for you! You are all amazing and beautiful people and don't you dare tell yourselves anything different.**


	14. Omake 2: First Date, AlMei style

"DAMN IT ALPHONSE, JUST ASK HER ON A DATE ALREADY!"

Alphonse reeled back in shock at his sister's outburst, then turned into a blushing and stuttering mess when he realized what she'd said, "I, I, but, I wa-want it to be a go-good first-"

"SHUT UP, AL!" Edward yelled, clearly pissed… and maybe drunk on milk (that was why she hated the stuff so much), "Mei's patient but she won't wait around forever for someone who isn't gonna make a move on her! So get up off your ass, quit worrying the details so much and ask her to go on a real date with you, not just hanging out in school and that sort of thing."

"But I," Alphonse sweat-dropped, "I don't have a lot of money."

Edward then grinned like a mad-woman and it personally scared Alphonse a little bit, "That's why I bought you these," She shoved some pieces of paper in his hands and as she left the bench he had been sulking in, she called over her shoulder, "and don't forget to kiss her while you're there and take lots of pictures!"

When she was gone, Alphonse looked at the pieces of paper he was given and realized 3 things immediately:

1: They were tickets; some for the amusement park, some for the cinema  
2: They were set for the same day, just some very different times  
3: There were 4 all in all; 2 for the park and 2 for the movie

He realized his sister had set him up for his first date with Mei and-

Wait a second…

This was going to be his first official date with Mei Chang, the woman who made him feel like putty in her hands, like a spineless jellyfish but gave him such strength just by saying his name, he felt like he could do anything.

Holy crap, he was screwed!

* * *

Maes chocked on his drink, "You what?!"

A blushing and clearly embarrassed Alphonse sat before him and Gracia at the Den Café, "I, I wanted to umm, I wanted to ask Mei out on a real date. Like, at the cinema or the amusement park and I kinda… I really need some advice."

"Can I ask why you're coming to us for advice instead of Edward or your own parents, Al?" Gracia asked softly.

Alphonse sighed, "I think Edward was drunk on milk when she gave me these and she couldn't get a date to save her life; I really don't think she'd be the best person to talk to about this stuff. And since my parents are always away and don't really seem to like me, I couldn't ask them."

Maes' eyes narrowed in suspicion, "What do you mean by that?"

Alphonse looked into the coffee he'd ordered, "I don't know what it is about them, but I… I feel like something is wrong with their aurora. They're kind to me and stuff like that and they treat me how a parent should, but something about them just doesn't feel right to me. I don't know what it is; but I think it's just the fact that I haven't gotten used to them even after all the years of living with them. Not that they're around much."

Maes silently filled away that information for another time.

"Anyway, yeah." Alphonse trailed off, "Any advice for what to do, what not to do on the first date?"

"Well, you could buy her chocolates and those other shenanigans; ya know, be all Prince-like and stuff." Maes suggested.

"Or you could just be yourself." Gracia gave him a reassuring smile, "That is the person who Mei likes, after all. Just make sure you let her know what she'll need to wear and when it is, 'kay?"

"Okay." Alphonse nodded, more confident now, "Thanks Gracia, Maes. You guys are the best."

The Hughes couple smiled at the young boy, "Happy to help, Al."

* * *

About two days later, sunlight was leaking into Mei's bed room through cracks in the curtains, illuminating her face. Young Mei was still sleeping though, since it was a weekend and all. And having a very nice dream from the look of things.

"Oh Alphonse," She sighed, hugging her pillow a little tighter, "you're so silly."

"CLUCK-CLUCK, CHICKEN! CLUCK-CLUCK, CHIKCHEN!"

Mei screamed in alarm and jumped up in bed, "WH-what's going on?! Who's there?! I swear I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Mei, honey, it's okay." Gracia said, softly approaching the Xingese girl.

Maes grinned, "We just wanted to make sure you'd wake up in time. And what better way then with a chicken clock?"

When she realized her adoptive parents, Mei sighed and slumped down, pulling the covers over her head, "Well, wake me up when there's something worth getting up for happening. I'm tired."

"But honey, don't you remember?" Gracia called, softly, "Alphonse is supposed to be picking you up for a date in about… 15 minutes."

Mei screamed and began frantically running around her room, muttering, "Oh shit, why didn't you guys wake me up soon?!" She tried tugging on a random shirt over her head, "You two re evil for not waking me up in time!"

As she hoped around her room, she finally took notice of the clock on the wall and what it said.

7:45am.

Her date with Alphonse was at 10:00am.

Turning her glaring eyes on the two laughing adults, Mei cried, "Shut up, that wasn't funny, Miss Gracia, Mrs Hughes!"

Maes whipped at a tear in the corner of his eye and smiled at her, "Sorry, Mei, but it's a Hughes family tradition to scare the kids on their first date."

"I'm afraid that's true." Gracia added, chuckling, "My parents pulled the same thing on me as Maes and I did with you. Sorry."

Mei groaned and looked around her room that she had sorta torn to pieces in a frantic search for clothes, "I hate both of you."

Gracia smiled, "Love you too, Mei. Besides, this gives you time for a shower and hair styling now."

"I guess," The Xingese girl sighed.

"Would you let me do it for you, please, Mei?" Gracia asked, kneeling before the girl, "As an apology."

Though she was surprised with this, Mei nodded, "O-okay Miss Gracia."

The two females left the pre-teen's room and headed for the bathroom together.

* * *

After a quick shower, while Mei sat wrapped in a bath-robe on the bath-tub's edge, Gracia was combing and styling her still slightly wet hair.

"So, how long have you and Alphonse been going out?" Gracia asked, continuing to comb the back-length strands of dark hair.

"About 2 months, I think." Mei admitted, "We started going out about two weeks after I transferred to his school. I don't think I'll ever forget the day I met him."

Gracia hummed as she continued, "Well, do you wanna tell me about it?"

Mei nodded, "I was on my way to school when I saw a small boy a few years younger than me being picked on by 3 older boys about Edward's age. I didn't understand why this would happen so I went into see if I could help the little boy; I tried talking it out with the older boys, but they ignored me in exchange for hitting the kid more. That was when I got mad."

Gracia took note of the moment of dramatic silence.

"I was going to go right up and hit one of the bigger boys when another person's voice cut through the air, saying, 'Howdy boys'. I turned around to see Edward and Alphonse standing behind me and when the older teenagers saw Edward, their faces turned practically white! She stalked towards them like a cat, cracking her knuckles and chased them off, leaving me alone with Alphonse and the boy who was getting beat up." Mei smiled softly at the memory.

Gracia saw the smile and recognized it; the one she wore when she remembers the day she first met Maes.

"I healed the boy with some of my Alkahestry and offered to walk him to his house or school, only to have Alphonse join us too because he refused to go. We both ended up late and in detention together, but it wasn't too horrible." Mei giggled, "I got to learn a lot about him in just a day and that was amazing for me. I wouldn't call what we had love at first sight, but I knew I liked him the second I saw him; and I really got to like him as the two weeks dragged on and then, out of the blue, blushing bright red, Alphonse asked me to be his girlfriend and I don't think there's been a dull moment in my life since."

Gracia chuckled, "Considering you're dating an Elric, things are bound to be interesting. By the way, I've finished your hair."

Mei smiled and looked at herself in the mirror and was shocked; was that really her hair? It was all smooth and it looked really shiny. It was braided into two thick braids similar to Edward's and vastly different from her traditional 6 tight braids, but she still maintained her 'little panda ears' of hair as her father had called them.

"Gracia," The little Xingese girl turned around and embraced the woman in a hug, "thank you so much, you're the best!"

Gracia was surprised for the moment, but smiled and wrapped her arms around the girl in return, "It's a pleasure Mei, now hurry up, or you'll really be late for your date with Alphonse."

The girl nodded and sprinted out of the bathroom, determination alight in her eyes; her hair was looking great, she was clean, all that was left was the cloths.

No problem, right?

* * *

15 minutes later, Mei realized that it was indeed a big problem; every time she spotted something that looked like it had hope for the date, she'd spot something wrong with it and end up tossing it behind her on the floor in despair.

"Damn it, I should have done this yesterday, now I'm gonna be late for my very first date," Mei panicked, looking through her cloths draw, whimpering, "This is hopeless!"

Ahem!

Turning around she saw Maes holding out an outfit for her to take. She took the hanger out of his hands and inspected the outfit; it was a red shirt that was short-sleeved and had some crease designs around the neck-line, a bow-tie on the near bottom of the shirt and below it was a wavy design as if it were a dress. There was a pair of denim light blue skin-tight shorts that would reach her knees and a pair of casual white sneakers to add to the outfit.

"I saw these among the mess that was your room and seeing that you were in full on panic mode," Maes shrugged, "I decided to help you out."

"Maes," Mei felt tears of gratitude prick at her eyelids as she lunged for the man, hugging him tight around the waste, "Thank you so much!"

Maes chuckled and hugged the short girl back, "You're welcome, now get dressed so I can drive you down, okay?"

"Okay." Mei nodded.

With that, the two parted; Mei to continue her preparations and Maes to prepare the car, along with his 'break her heart, I'll break your neck' speech every father has to do when he sees his daughter off on a date.

* * *

At the cinema Roy and his little siblings had dumped him at (because Edward was way too hungover to drive them), Alphonse was still fidgeting. Sure, he was the one who intentionally got Roy to drive him here so he'd arrive 15 minutes early, but he still felt nervous.

What if Mei had slept in or something? Or what if she canceled without even calling? What if she wasn't actually ready for a "proper" date? Damn it, Alphonse was so nervous, he felt like a feline hyped up on catnip.

"Alphonse!"

Suddenly, all those negative feelings disappeared and all he could think about was how wonderful it was to hear that stunning voice call his name in that wonderful, cheery tone of voice.

Turning his head, Alphonse smiled when he spotted her running towards him with a massive smile on her face and wearing the most adorable outfit. A stunning red dress, denim blue jean-shorts, black socks and white sneakers. Seeing her hair in two braids was just so freaking cute, Alphonse felt he'd have a heart attack if she got any more adorable.

He was so in love. It sucked; wonderfully.

"Sorry if I'm a little early." Mei gave a breathless, heart-stopping giggle, "I didn't want to keep you waiting."

Alphonse grinned, large and happy, "Nah, it's fine; if anyone should apologize for earliness it's me. You look really good, by the way."

Her face turning a slightly pink shade, which made her even cuter, the Xingese girl who now wore no make up smiled at him, "Thank you, Maes and Gracia helped me. You look good, too, Al."

He grinned even wider and offered her his hand, declaring, "Well, shall we go?"

Mei gave him a slightly challenging smirk and nodded, taking his hand, "Yes, we shall."

With that, the most adorable couple in the world strolled into the Cinema to watch whatever show Edward had paid for.

* * *

After getting dropped off at the amusement park by a still slightly hung over Edward and highly amused Roy, (who kept "bickering like a married couple" Alphonse remarked. That got him a very hard mirror glare and a comment to make sure to never got cold feet again) Mei and Alphonse were left to their own devices.

They went on all the extreme rides together from roller coasters to water-slides. Alphonse had a few near heart attacks and Mei would probably lose her voice soon, but it was well worth it. The couple had a go on a merry-go-round to get themselves to calm down a little bit (Mei seemed to really, really like this idea, Alphonse noted), then they bought some chips and ice cream to share (Alphonse seemed to really like it when he got to kiss the ice cream off her nose, Mei also noted).

Eventually, it got dark and turns out those tickets were night-passes, so they could stay for the fireworks show.

"Where do you want to see the fireworks from, Al?" Mei asked, smiling.

Alphonse looked around and smiled slightly, "How about the Ferris Wheel? It's probably really romantic up there."

She nodded and started running, tugging on his hands as she laughed, "Let's go then!"

He laughed as well and ran with her, never letting go of each other's hands as they went. There was nothing in the world that could possibly be better than this moment they have. Right here, right now.

Because they had each other and that was all they ever needed.

* * *

The perfect two sat together in cart-thing number 07, fingers intertwined on the seat space between them making both individuals smile as they just sat comfortably in the silence, conveying feelings through actions instead of words.

Stolen glances and temporarily tightening fingers, turned to shoulder bumps and their tangled hands resting between each other, then a stolen kiss on the cheek or temple and suddenly, just as they reach the top of the wheel and the whole ride stops, those stolen kisses turned into given and received chase ones on the lips.

Then the fireworks started. But their cart-thing didn't move.

Curiously, Alphonse slowly pulled back from the kiss and looked into the sky, still smiling, even though he looked surprised.

"Hey, Mei." He called, "You wanna know what looks really good right now?"

"The fireworks?" She suggested, snuggling a little closer to him.

Alphonse smiled, "Yeah, the fireworks look really good right now." He pulled Mei just that little bit closer to him with an arm around her shoulders, and a soft look on his face, "But you look beautiful. Everyday, all the time, wherever, whenever. All I can think about is you."

Mei's face lifted a little and turned a little rosy as the fireworks continued firing outside, "Alphonse…"

"You're so strong and brave and cute." He gave her forehead a gentle kiss, "But you're also human too, so you can get angry or upset. And I'm really glad you let me be there whenever you need me." The blonde idly played with the ends of one of her braids, "That really, really makes me happy. And while I know we've only been together for a little while and please, you don't have to say anything after this, it's not a request that needs to be filled. But I… I just really want you to know that I…"

As Alphonse gulped, Mei felt her heart begin to pick up speed. Was he going to say what she thought he was going to say? Was he going to break up with her? Was there someone better out there? Okay, those last questions were stupid ones but-

"I love you." Alphonse spoke, looking a little bit afraid, a little bit nervous and Mei felt his heart beating a little bit faster from where her hand was on his chest, but determined none the less, "And like I said, you don't have to say anything in return, I promise, but-"

"Shut up." Mei snapped, face burning in embarrassment, a fist full of Alphonse's shirt, "And kiss me already, you idiot because I love you, too, okay?"

For a moment, there was nothing but silence in the cart, even the fireworks had stopped, almost as if not to intrude on this precious moment between the two. Mei's face turned a little bit pinker ever second, her grip a little bit tighter ever moment. Alphonse was frozen stuff, almost as if the declaration of returned feelings had frozen his heart; but that clearly wasn't true considering it was beating so loud he could feel the blood rushing into his ear.

Alphonse grinned as if he'd won the lottery and wrapped his arms around Mei's waist, "It'd be a pleasure."

Then the fireworks started once again; outside the cart and inside the lovers' minds as they kissed softly in the multi-coloured firework light. It took a while but, when they finally pulled away from each other and instead turned their attention to the fireworks outside and it appeared the last ones were being launched.

At the end of the special show they were doing today as an anniversary of the park's creation, they always took requests from people of what coloured fireworks they wanted, or what pattern they'd explode in and some would even turn into shapes.

One particular firework this year exploded into gold and purple lights, falling into the shape of a heart with the initials "A.E" and "M.C" inside it, before fading into the blackness with the rest of the firework show and the Ferris Wheel started up again.

The pair had gone bright pink in the face.

Mei blinked, "Was that-"

"Uh-huh." Alphonse gaped.

They turned their faces towards each other as the ride stopped again to let them off.

"You two enjoy the show?"

The two screamed and glared in embarrassment towards the figure at the door grinning at them smugly, "EDWARD!"

Edward Elric, who was dressed as one of the park staff, smirked, "I'll take that as a yes."

"How did you even get in here?!" Alphonse groaned.

"1: Our parents give enough bribes out around town for them to be extra nice to anyone who claims to be their child. 2: I can be very persuasive when it comes to getting my own job. And 3: the firework person is a big sucker for first-loves and so didn't see any reason for them not to fire up the firework I had made for you guys especially." She smirked, holding up an extra finger for each point she made, "Now, let's get everyone home."

Still with their faces red, everyone left the amusement park, Alphonse swearing to make Edward's first date with Roy as interesting as possible and Mei swearing to help him.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry I was gone for so long guys, it's just, well. I sorta lost my drive for the story. Really sorry; but I do hope it was worth the wait.** **Oh, who am I kidding, I left you hanging for nearly a year! Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry! But...**

 **AREN'T AL AND MEI THE CUTEST?!**

 **I've been thinking of making an Omake about how Hohenheim is the way he is today, or something like that, but I don't know yet. But I'm afraid that if I do write it, you won't see it until a lot later in the fic. Hope to hear from you all soon! :)**


	15. Chapter 11: The Past is a Tragic Thing

**AN: Warning, we get a flashback of abuse in this chapter.**

...

In the bustling market place, people went about their business with joy in their hearts and pleasantries falling from their lips. Everywhere you found people sitting at their stalls, happily and excitedly talking to any customers that came, while the stalls with no one around you could find their owners taking naps or drags from cigarettes.

All in all, the market was a wonderful place to spend a Saturday morning, spoiling her little brothers and sister, as far as Edward was concerned.

"Look, big sister, look!" Nina chanted, her voice a happy song in the music of the market place, "Look at the pretty bracelets and stuff!"

Edward laughed as Nina tugged her along, tightening her grip on Alphonse, who held Mei, who held Rick, who held Rio, to make sure the group didn't lose each other in the market mayhem.

They reached the stall and instantly Nina was admiring the different bracelets, necklaces and earrings with the different gems and styled metal. Alphonse and Mei fawned over a pair of cat-shaped earrings while Rio and Rick looked at the obsidian pieces. Edward watched this all happen with a smile, her hands in her pockets and ready to reach for her wallet, not minding in the least how empty it would be by the end of this day. That was kinda the point of coming to the market some days; besides, every penny was worth it just to see these guys smile. Sometimes, Edward actually relied on their smiles to get her through the days.

"Edward, come here!"

Snapping from her thoughts, the blonde smiled and took a couple steps closer to the table, taking her hands out of her pocket, "Whatcha got there, Mei?"

The young Xingese girl smiled and pointed out a necklace with what looked like a mini-kunai hanging off it, "Can I have that, please? I used to use kunai in my Alkahestry training and while I still have them somewhere, I think it'd be nice just to have that one around."

"Sure thing, kiddo." The half-Xerxian/half-Amestrian checked the price and looked around at everyone else, "Is everyone ready to pick and pay now?"

Hearing the sounds of confirmation and having the pieces of jewelry placed in front of her, Edward checked the prices and gave her money to the staler, before walking off with her siblings and Mei biting at her heels, their purchases in a picnic basket Rick had suggested they'd bring.

"So, where to next everyone?" Edward smiled.

Alphonse opened his mouth to answer-

CRASH

-only to get cut off by a tall man bumping into Edward and knocking her off her feet.

"Oh my! I'm so sorry, Miss!" The man apologized, "Are you okay?"

Edward chuckled and dusted her jeans off, chuckling, "I'm fine man, no need to worr-"

She froze, her eyes widening in shock when they found the face of the man. No, no, dear Gods above, no-

"Hey, are you okay, sis?" Rio called.

No, no, no, please let it be a dream, please let it be a dream-

"Edward, what's wrong?" Mei's voice called.

Fuck, he's here, he's actually here, if he's here then could that mean-

"Big Sister… who was that?" Nina asked, fearful and worried.

Edward lowered her head and placed the basket in Alphonse's hands, "No one, guys."

Then, without warning, she took off sprinting.

"EDWARD!" Her siblings and Mei called in alarm, shocked out of their minds.

The blonde teenager didn't stop, she kept running and suddenly she was completely lost in the crowd. The group didn't care though, they tried to go after her.

"Alphonse, what the heck was that about?" Rio called, looking at his older brother oddly.

Alphonse shook his head, "I'm not sure."

Rick added in shock, "It's really not like Ed to run off like that."

"This must be serious then." Mei reasoned, "We better call for help."

"We should call Mr. Hughes and Roy-san!" Nina suggested.

Alphonse nodded and pulled out his sister's phone, scrolling through the contacts as everyone stopped and clicking on Gracia's name, then pressing the phone to his ear.

" _Hello?_ " Gracia's voice called, pleasantly.

"Gracia, we have a bit of a situation!" Alphonse called.

" _Alphonse, what's wrong? Wait, let me get Maes on the phone, too._ " There was a bit of shuffling and calling, then everyone heard the man's voice, " _Alphonse, what's wrong?_ "

"It's Ed!" Rick called, "Some guy bumped into her and she suddenly took off, running like the devil was on her heels."

"She was really quiet and looked really pale between those events, though." Rio added, "I was afraid she was going to throw up or pass out."

"She looked two seconds short of a panic attack." Mei called, "We need to find her, I don't think she's in the right state of mind to be wandering around a busy market right now."

"Please, Mr and Mrs Hughes, help us!" Nina cried, "I'm scared for Big Sister Edward!"

" _Hey, hey, calm down everyone, it's going to be okay._ " Gracia called through the phone.

Maes added in, " _Okay, so where are you guys right now?_ "

"In the Western warehouse district, in the market area. We're near…" Alphonse looked around and found himself staring at, "Warehouse B."

" _Okay, we're coming._ " Maes called, " _Hang tight._ "

"We'll keep looking for her in teams of two or three and at 4:00pm we'll meet at the old execution grounds." Alphonse suggested, "We'll call a few more of her friends, too, to help us out."

" _You guys do that. Bye._ " Maes hung up.

Alphonse lifted his head to his little siblings and Mei, "Nina, Rio and Rick, your walky-talkies are working, right?"

"You bet your butt they are." Rio stated, red eyes determined.

Alphonse nodded, "Then I want you guys as a team looking for her. Make sure to check in every 20 minutes to ensure you all know where Mei and I are or if anyone has seen Edward anywhere."

Everyone nodded and then spit up, holding hands and sprinting into two different directions.

…

Meanwhile, Edward was running blind and scared. She had no idea where she was going or what she was doing.

All she could see was the images in her mind and bad memories coming back to life.

…

" _Oh, dear mother, I love you  
_ _I'm sorry, I wasn't good enough"_

 _4-year-old Edward Elric sat in the back of Mommy and Daddy's car in the booster seat, watching in worry as Mommy and Daddy went on yelling. Baby Alphonse was blowing his cat whistle and so was Edward, trying to get them to stop fighting._

 _But it never worked. They only stopped fighting when Daddy stopped the car and let Mommy step out._

" _Daddy, why did Mommy go?" Edward asked, worried._

 _Daddy sighed heavily, still sounding very angry, "To work off some steam that's been piling up inside of her because of you two brats."_

 _Edward was only confused by her Daddy's words. Mommy looked angry, but she wasn't steaming like the kettle did when it was yelling. And even if Mommy was steaming, which isn't really possible because there's no way her body could be that hot and it wasn't hot outside either, how could that be Edward's or Alphonse's fault? Plus, they weren't brats. Whatever those were._

 _Daddy doesn't make sense sometimes._

...

" _Dear father, forgive me  
_ _'Cause in your eyes, I just never added up"_

 _4-year-old Edward yawned again as she went back to bed, only to stop and stare when she saw Mommy and Daddy standing in the kitchen, near the door; and Daddy had a suitcase with him._

" _Mommy? Daddy?" Edward called into the kitchen, "What's going on?"_

 _Mommy made a surprised gasping sound, before turning around and smiling at her, "Edward, what are you doing up so early?"_

" _I had to go potty." Edward explained and looked towards Daddy, who was only glaring at her. It made Edward flitch; she knew what it meant if someone was glaring, it meant they were unhappy. "Where's Daddy going?"_

" _Away." Daddy spat, sounding really angry._

 _Hearing the harsh tone made Edward jump a little; sure, she'd heard Daddy angry before, but never towards her like that. It was always towards Mommy. What did Edward do wrong?_

 _Before she could ask him, Daddy picked up his suitcase and walked out the door, slamming the kitchen door shut behind him (making Edward wince; she hated loud noises) and then the front door as well. They heard a car turning on…_

 _...and then Daddy was gone._

...

" _In my heart I know I failed you,  
_ _but you left me here alone"_

 _6-year-old Edward watched as Mommy coughed and wheezed a little while she lay in bed, Alphonse and Edward sitting next to her. Everyone had gotten sick with the cold, even Mommy had._

" _Hey, Mommy." 2-year-old Alphonse called weakly, hugging his toy cat Ruby that Edward bought him for his birthday last year, "When's Daddy gonna get back and take care of us?"_

 _Mommy looked sad and angry now, but not at Alphonse, "He's not coming back, baby."_

" _Huh?" Alphonse asked, looking clearly confused, "But why? Did I… did I do something wrong? I promise, I'll fix it I-"_

" _Oh, honey, dear God, no." Mommy said, smiling and bringing Edward and Alphonse into a hug, "You two did nothing wrong, it's just… Daddy is a very busy man and he didn't like fighting with me, so, he just decided to leave. He didn't think it was good for you two to see us fighting."_

 _Edward coughed a little, "But, why were you two fighting all the time? What was it about?"_

 _Mommy had a very sad look on her face as she refused to meet Edward's eyes, "...You'll learn when you're older."_

 _But even then, Edward knew, that whatever reason Daddy and Mommy had always been fighting, it had something to do with her and Alphonse. But what?_

….

" _If I could hold back the rain, would you numb the pain?  
_ _'Cause I remember everything."_

 _8-year-old Edward couldn't believe it, it was impossible! Mom couldn't be dead, there's no way a woman that strong could be dead!_

" _I'm sorry, Edward." The stupid doctor said, "But your mother is dead."_

 _Alphonse, what about Alphonse, "What about my brother, Doctor?!"_

 _The stupid doctor lowered his head, "He's lost his entire memory, Edward. He doesn't even know his own name anymore."_

 _It was a good thing that was was already sitting down in the stupid hospital bed, or she would have fainted on the hard flour instead._

...

" _If I could help you forget, would you take my regrets?  
_ _'Cause I remember everything."_

" _You want us to give you Automail?!" 8-year-old Winry Rockbell exclaimed in shock._

" _Winry, please," Edward pleaded with her best friend, "Alphonse needs me, I can't spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair and do nothing when he can't even remember his own name! Please, Win, Granny, I'm begging you, get me some Automail."_

 _Granny Pinako took a drag of her pipe, "You do realize the rehabilitation process will take about 3 years right?"_

" _I'll do it in one." Edward declared._

" _What?!" Winry exclaimed, "That's crazy, you'll be spitting blood-"_

" _I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE RISKS!" Edward screamed at the top of her lungs._

 _Winry flinched back, looking startled and scared. Edward forced herself to take a calming breath, then let it out before turning her head towards Winry and Pinako again._

" _Please, guys." She begged, "For Alphonse."_

 _Winry and Pinako gave each other hesitant looks, before turning back towards Edward and nodding._

 _Edward sighed and slumped, "Thank you."_

...

" _Oh, dear brother, just don't hate me  
_ _For never standing by you or being by your side"_

" _Well, what did the court decide?" 10-year-old Edward Elric asked, fully equipped and able to use her Automail effectively._

 _Edward to this day had no idea why it took the court people an entire year to decide what to do with Edward and Alphonse, but who the fuck cared? At least now they had their answer._

 _Winry sighed, "I'm sorry Ed, but they've decided that you and Alphonse are going to have to," she teared up, "have to…"_

 _6-year-old Alphonse was worried; while he still only remembered little bits about Winry from before the car crash, he still cared about her a lot, "Winry, what's wrong?"_

" _You're going to get sent into an orphanage!" Winry burst into tears and lunged herself at the Elrics, hugging them tightly, "Granny tried to adopt you and the court tried to get in contact with your Dad, but he wouldn't listen to a word they had to say and they wouldn't let Granny take you in! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."_

 _Winry continued to go off into intelligible and broken declarations of "I'm sorry", but while Alphonse could hug her back, all Edward could do was stand there, frozen stiff._

 _Their father had truly abandoned them now. Even after all this time, he wouldn't come to the aid of his children?_

 _After everything Ed and Al had to face alone, he wouldn't try to make it better for them?_

 _After all that, he wouldn't help them?!_

 _Edward wanted to scream, to shout, to yell the unfairness out, to cry until she had nothing left and fight against this cruel fate until every bone in her body had been busted._

 _Instead, she just hugged Winry and Alphonse, the only thought going through her head being:_

"That car accident happened on my birthday. If I'd never been born, none of this would have happened. Mom wouldn't be dead. Alphonse wouldn't have lost his memory. Hohenheim would still be around. _"_

 _This was all her fault._

"Alphonse, forgive me. _"_

...

" _Dear sister, please don't blame me  
_ _I only did what I thought was truly right"_

" _Look! It's the Tinman and the Cowardly Lion!"_

 _Laughing broke out in the cafeteria of the orphanage, making 11-year-old Edward grit her teeth hard in an attempt to not get herself in trouble while 7-year-old Alphonse hid himself behind his sister's intimidating form, hugging Ruby tighter to himself._

 _Neither of the siblings talked to any of the kids who mocked them as they joined the lunch line. Edward didn't even flinch when they started making clickety-clank sounds, or singing "We're off the to see the Wizard". She didn't flinch when they tried to trip her up so they could take off her Automail leg. She didn't let herself stumble anyway._

 _When it was finally their turn in the line, the cafeteria staff members gave Edward some disgusted looks as they piled her and Alphonse's plates high with some slop that looked like it was suppose to be spinach. They took their seat in the back of the cafeteria, near the window at the corner._

 _Once they'd taken their trays out, Edward took out a photo-frame from her pocket and put it on the table. In the frame was a photo of their mother Trisha holding their hands, with Winry standing between the Elric siblings and in front of their mother while Pinako scratched Edward's head and the Rockbell's dog, Den, licked Alphonse silly. Ruby and that photo were the only things they had._

" _Hey Mom." Alphonse spoke to the photo, smiling softly, "The food looks great today, huh? How are you doing up in heaven?"_

 _Edward grinned, "You keeping an eye on Winry and Pinako for us right? Oh! And have you talked to Uncle Yuriy and Auntie Sara yet?" Yuriy and Sara were Winry's parents. "I know you've missed them a lot, so it only makes sense you'd go and have a chat with them."_

 _The photo was silent, as it always was, but both siblings knew it would always be like that. But talking to the photo and pretending it was Mom really helped some days. Some days being the key words, though._

" _Hey, Tinman!"_

 _Edward ignored the boy who called out her nickname, as did Alphonse. But they were smart enough to at least put the photo away. Hopefully they bully wouldn't notice them hiding it inside Ruby._

" _I'm talking to you, Tinman!" The person called again; judging from their voice, they sounded as if they were 13 years old._

 _Edward turned around slowly, glaring at the person, "1: My name is Edward, not Tinman, so if you want to talk to me, call me by my name. And 2: I'm eating right now, so can I talk to you later, please?"_

 _The person then went and spat on her food, then turned to her and glared, "1: If I want to call you Tinman, I will call you Tinman, you bitch. And 2: I doubt you'd want to eat that now, huh?"_

 _Alphonse gulped, "Please, can you just leave us alone. We don't want any trouble."_

" _Shut up, Cowardly Lion, I wasn't talking to you!" The person snapped, before turning back to Edward and picking her up by the collar of her shirt, "Look at you, you pathetic wench. Not even half a girl, I feel really sorry for your parents. It's no wonder they dumped a half-metal freak like you in a place like this."_

 _Edward didn't say a word. She just glared at the person, daring him to keep it up. The person snarled and slammed her body onto the table, shattering the plate under her._

" _Well answer me, you fucking freak!" The person growled, "Or as well as being born with those freaky metal limbs, were you born with selective mutism?" He banged her body hard, "TALK YOU BITCH!"_

 _A crowd was gathering and some people had come out of the crowd to bully Alphonse, too._

" _Aww, what a cute, little kitty." A tall boy mocked, snatching Ruby out of Alphonse's hands._

 _Alphonse gasped and jumped for it, "No! Give her back, please, give her back, pretty please!"_

" _Shove off, kid." The person kicked Alphonse in the chest and sent him to the ground._

 _Edward gasped, "Alphonse!"_

 _The person with Ruby in his arms grinned, "Wouldn't she look cuter with her head ripped off and her stuffing all over the place? Wouldn't she, guys?!"_

 _The kids in the crowd cheered and Alphonse and Edward felt panic running through them._

" _No, don't, please leave her alone!" Edward called, "Please, leave my brother and the toy alone! Do anything you want with me, just please leave them alone!"_

" _Shut up, bitch!" SMACK! WACK!_

" _SISTER!" Alphonse screamed._

 _Edward groaned, feeling a bit of blood coming from her temple, "I'm okay, Al, I'm okay."_

" _Oh yeah?" The person yanked her up again, "Well, you won't be for long, Tinman."_

 _He tossed her to the ground and stamped on her flesh hand hard. Edward bit her lip hard enough to make it bleed, but refused to scream. The person kicked her stomach in, but still, she didn't make a sound. The only sounds were from Alphonse, who cried out her name in worry, and that of the cheering crowd._

 _SHRED! CRASH!_

 _Finally, Edward and Alphonse did gasp and started in shock at the boy who had ripped Ruby to shreds and was now holding the photograph in his hands, the frame broken and tossed carelessly on the flour._

" _Hey, who's the pretty girl in the picture with you guys?" The person sneered, "Your girlfriend, Tinman? Or is she yours, Cowardly Lion?"_

" _None of your business!" Edward yelled, "Put the photo down, now!"_

" _Oh." The person hummed innocently, then smiled wickedly, "You want me to put it down?"_

 _SHRED! SHRED! SHRED!_

 _Pieces of paper fell to the flour like petals, fluttering as they fell. Edward and Alphonse couldn't speak._

" _You said to put it down and when it comes to animals, putting something down means killing them, so…" The person smirked, "I killed that stupid, little picture."_

 _The two bullies laughed and that had been the last straw._

 _Edward and Alphonse_ _ **screamed**_ _._

...

" _It's a long and lonely road,  
_ _when you know you walk alone"_

 _The two bullies had been severely injured, as was one other kid in that orphanage. Another 12 had been injured severely. Edward and Alphonse had hurt every single person who'd been in that room in any way they could; from running forks through people's hands to smashing their heads against a table in the cafeteria._

 _No one found was given any mercy._

 _By the end of it, Edward had a knife wound in her gut, a massive concussion, a fractured leg, a sprained wrist and mangled Automail. She was crying when her rage had finally left her._

 _Alphonse was about the same. Stab wounds from kids who had tried to defend themselves, a sprained ankle from attempting to crush someone's head, a few snapped ribs. He'd also cried._

 _Winry and Pinako had been there the second they'd gotten the call, holding the weeping pir who had declared themselves monsters for doing such things to those kids. Edward knew that Alphonse would never get over it and neither would she. The nightmares of what they'd done would never leave them and they didn't even want to think about what Trisha would think of them._

 _What kind of mother would feel anything positive about what they've done?_

 _It was at that point that Hohenheim finally stepped in._

...

" _If I could hold back the rain, would you numb the pain?  
_ _'Cause I remember everything."_

 _Hohenheim took custody of Edward and Alphonse, using every bit of influence that he could to ensure that what happened in that orphanage never became public knowledge. There was a whisper here and a rumour there, but that was it. As far as everyone knew, it was just that. Rumors._

 _A week after the incident, Hohenheim took Edward and Alphonse home where they met Baby Nina, 3-year-old Rio, 2-year-old Rick and 15-year-old Ling Yao. Their big brother. Edward and Alphonse instantly adored their new siblings and tired to do everything with them together._

 _Edward would get Ling to help her out with her school projects, even when she didn't need the help. Ling and Edward would read Alphonse, Rio, Rick and Nina bedtime stories together. The two were inseparable._

 _Until that day. October 3rd._

...

" _If I could help you forget, would you take my regrets?  
_ _'Cause I remember everything."_

 _11-year-old Edward looked at her big brother's room in confusion, "What's going on, Ling? Why's all your stuff in boxes?"_

 _15-year-old Ling sighed heavily and stood up. He turned around and walked across the room to where Edward was standing in the doorway. The Xingese boy kneeled down and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder._

" _Edward, you know how Dad, Dante and I have been fighting a lot lately?" He asked, smiling sadly._

 _Edward nodded, confusion clear in her eyes, "Yeah, so what?" Her eyes widened in horror for a moment, "Wait, are you leaving?!"_

 _Ling's expression became pained, "Yeah. I'm going to go live with my girlfriend, Martel. You remember her, right?"_

 _The blonde vaguely remembered that her brother would sometimes bring a girl to the house; she had really, really short blonde hair, a green tattoo all along her arm, neck and a bit of her chin, "She's the girl with the knife on her back and a snake obsession, right?"_

 _Ling chuckled and nodded, "Yeah, that's her."_

" _Why are you going to live with her?" Edward asked, "What have you, Hohenheim and Dante been fighting about so much that you're flying the coop?"_

 _The black-haired boy gave a sad smile, "You'll learn when you're older, I hope."_

 _With that, he stood up and went back to work, ignoring Edward who shrugged and left him to his own devices. It's not like he wouldn't visit them after all, so go ahead and let him move if it's that important._

...

" _I feel like running away  
_ _I'm still so far from home"_

 _Edward screamed into her pillow as Hohenheim continued to use her body for his own pleasure, the pain rising._

" _STOP IT! PLEASE! HOHENHEIM, PLEASE THAT HURTS!" The blonde screamed looking towards Dante who was just across the room, "PLEASE, DANTE, HELP ME!"_

 _But Dante did not help Edward. All she did was play with her breasts and moan, smirking and licking her lips at the sight before her._

" _You have no idea how erotic this is, do you Edward?" The evil woman advanced slowly, smirking as she brushed a hair behind Edward's head, "Don't worry, you'll get it eventually."_

 _Edward shook her head; no, she would not get it, this hurt, she felt like she was being ripped to shreds from the inside out!_

" _Now then," Dante slid in front of her and lifted her breasts so she was practically shoving them in Edward's face, "lick them."_

 _She shook her head, but the refusal only caused Hohenheim to pound her harder and slap her butt even harder, causing the blonde to scream in pain. While she was wailing, Dante shoved one of her breasts into Edward's mouth. The blonde gagged at the loss of air and accidentally sucked the breast in her mouth._

 _Dante moaned loudly._

...

" _You say that I'll never change  
_ _But what the fuck do you know?"_

 _By the next morning, Edward was in so much pain, she could hardly walk, but she didn't want to be in the house alone with these two when she could finally be at school. So she forced herself to shower off, get dressed, eat some breakfast and go to school._

 _The first two lessons were fine, but people kept on poking and prodding at her, asking her stuff like "Are you really Van Hohenheim's daughter?" or "Why is your hair gold?" and it just made Edward feel sick. She didn't speak to anyone unless it was a teacher and it wasn't a yes/no question they'd asked._

 _She drank the icy cold water she'd brought with her during break, but before she could eat her honey sandwich, the bell rang, signalling it was time for the next two lessons. During lesson 4, a girl named LanFan had talked to her, smiling and grinning as if just because of her status she was important._

 _Edward shut that down with just a few words, "I don't like people who use their beauty and status to make themselves out to be important; they annoy the heck out of me. If you want my respect, you have to urn it by being yourself, first."_

 _LanFan had genuinely looked shocked to be spoken to like that; good, if that's the case then she needed a serious talking to. Edward didn't even mind she got punched in the face for it; it's not like her big mouth hadn't gotten her in trouble before._

 _When dinner rolled around, Edward got a text from Hohenheim ordering her not to take a single bite of any of the food in the cafeteria and if she did, he'd know and punish her for it. She texted back that she was going to eat her honey sandwich anyway and then she turned off her phone._

 _No one spoke to her or asked to sit with her for the entire hour. She'd spotted some of her old friends sitting at tables a little ways of from her own and giving her looks, as if surprised to see her. But since they didn't invite her over, Edward didn't move._

 _That was the start of many lonely lunches. And even lonelier years._

...

" _I'll burn it all to the ground before I let you in  
_ _Please forgive me, I can't forgive you now.  
_ _I remember everything."_

 _For the next 4 years, Edward spent 80% of her nights getting fucked by Hohenheim and Dante, 10% of her nights staying up late to make sure none of the adults went into the kids rooms, 6% of her nights watching Anime with the kids and 4% of her nights sleeping with nightmares always coming to find her after hiding behind a corner in her mind._

 _She didn't get a good night's sleep in forever._

 _Edward didn't eat properly since she'd been forbidden from the hot foods at school._

 _The Elric girl didn't make any friends but got plenty of enemies._

 _The blonde didn't participate in any clubs because she didn't want anyone to know about the Automail._

 _Ling never talked to her, he didn't even send a letter or a single phone call._

 _Edward Elric was utterly trapped and there was nothing she could do about._

...

" _If I could hold back the rain, would you numb the pain?  
_ _'Cause I remember everything.  
_ _If I could help you forget, would you take my regrets?  
_ _'Cause I remember everything._

 _It all went by so fast  
_ _I still can't change the past  
_ _I always will remember everything  
_ _If we could start again,  
_ _Would that have changed the end?  
_ _We remember everything, everything._ "

"Remember Everything" by Five Finger Death Punch cut through the market air like a hot knife through lukewarm butter. Edward recognized the heavy metal music that was playing on the radio and the lyrics registered in her brain, ringing so painfully true with her past, she felt tears gather in the corner of her eyes.

" _Damn it._ " She thought, " _What did I do to deserve this? Why did this happen to me? How could I get Al messed up in all that? HOW COULD I BE SO STUPID?!_ "

She felt herself collide with someone and heard a familiar voice call out "Whoa!", before feeling arms wrap around her and hold her close, the person calling her name out in a breath of relief. Edward gripped his shirt hard and hid her face from the world, forcing herself not to cry. She recognized this smell and how it felt to be held in these arms.

She knew it was Maes, so she didn't pull away.

Instead, Edward allowed herself to let go of his shirt and hug the man she was beginning to view as a father.

Maes gently smoothed out her hair and held her a little bit tighter, softly repeating, "It's gonna be alright, Ed, I promise. It's gonna be alright."

The blonde heard several different people call out her name at once; Alphonse, Roy, Winry, Sheska, Kain, Gracia, Riza, Patrick, Paninya, Rio, Rick, Mei and Nina. Then she felt as if an entire army had wrapped their arms around both her and Maes, providing shelter, warmth, protection and love.

Edward glanced up at the ground that hugged her tightly, realizing they were all near the old execution grounds.

She smiled at her friends and siblings, saying, "I'll be alright, don't worry about me."

But instead of pulling away, she felt everyone in the group tighten their grip on her and each other. The blonde didn't dare pull away, not wanting to leave this shielded place where for once, she was loved, cherished and treasured.

It would be a crime to leave, Edward reasoned with herself.

…

In the bustling crowd of the market, a young man stopped talking to stare at the scene unfolding near the execution grounds. It was funny really…

To see such love and compassion happening right by a place of death and rage. It truly was ironic.

" _Well, Ed was always a bit of a weird one._ " The man thought to himself.

Then he slipped away back into the crowd to let the group have their moment while they could.

It really was too bad that Edward would be leaving them so soon though. They all looked really happy.


	16. Chapter 12: Bad Reunion

**AN: Mentions of rape and drug use in the chapter. Active human trafficking as well. Honestly, I didn't do much research into this because my internet was down and the sites I did find didn't have much information. But I wanted to work on this so badly, so yeah. Probably not accurate, but could still be upsetting.**

...

Edward sighed, turning the key in the library door handle until she knew it was locked.

" _Thank God for Spring Break._ " She thought, pocketing the key and heading down the street, " _Now I can finally work for a little bit more of my keep without Hohenheim and Dante around to restrict me to one job and half my pay._ "

Every Spring Break, Hohenheim and Dante went on an extended vacation to Hawiki or some other exotic island and without them and their stupid spies, Edward was free to keep her entire paychecks safely in her piggy bank and could get more than one job. Sure, the cafe job with Izumi and the other girls paid just fine, but when your abusive 'parents' are stealing half of your paycheck every month and use that money only to their own benefit and you have 4 little siblings who count on you to bring home the bacon, it can get frustrating.

But as soon as they were gone and school was out, Edward was free to take on any jobs she liked under the alias she created for herself (Edeline Kryer) and finally feed her piggy bank the things it needs to survive the winter; so to speak. Plus, she didn't have to try to cover up or explain any possible sex-related injuries to her coworkers.

As she trudged on, still lost in thought-

WOSH!

-Edward whipped her head upwards, thinking she saw and heard something moving. But when she looked on the rooftops, there was nothing there.

The blonde sighed and rubbed at her temples, singing, "I am losing my mind."

Shaking it off, the girl charged on ahead, going straight home, hoping against hope that Alphonse hadn't stayed up waiting for her by the door again. Silly little brother knew she was going to be home late, yet he insisted on standing like a guard dog at that stupid front door. At least she'd managed to convince him to keep inside.

Suddenly she spun around and sent a punch forwards, hitting the man who'd been standing there square in the face.

He cried out something along the lines of 'bitch' as he went down, wailing and covering his bloody face, tossing and turning his body as he did.

"That's what you get for trying to creep up on a girl who was just out for a stroll, you perv." Edward spat, seemingly ignoring the looming shadow behind her-

CRACK! "OOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWW!"

-only to turn around and spit on the shirt of the guy she'd kicked in the gut, "Same goes for you, asshole."

"You bitch," The first one groaned, standing up and holding his definitely broken nose, "we weren't gonna do nothing to you!"

"Yeah, I bet that's why you and your friend was sneaking up on me like the evil kidnapping lackeys of the villains in all the shitty superhero movies." Edward snapped, then stepped back from them a little bit, grinning evilly, "Now, would you rather the cops deal with you and your sorry asses, or me?"

THUD! "Ack!" Thud.

As Edward dropped to the ground, the two men she'd sorta beaten up stood up and groaned, walking over to their third comrade who had knocked her out with a whack to the pressure point on her neck.

"Why didn't you warn us she was a fucking kicker?" The guy with the busted gut asked, "You know I hate women who fight."

"Save your breath, loser." The guy with the busted nose stated, "At least your nose is in tact."

"Both of you shut up." The third guy snapped, grabbing Edward and hoisting her over his shoulder, "Let's just get her to the boss already."

The other two agreed with their friend and cleared out the area.

In the shadows of an ally, a person took out a phone and went into their contacts, calling the only number on there with a grim expression as they waited for the other person to pick up.

" _Hello? What is it, my friend?_ " The person on the other side of the line called.

"I am sorry to report, Master, but the girl has just been kidnapped, sir."

" _What?! And you let that happen?!_ "

"I'd thought she was handling herself fairly well and you had ordered me to stick to the shadows no matter what."

" _You're right, I'm sorry I snapped. Did you get any idea on how any of them looked?_ "

"No, sir, they were all wearing masks. I'm sorry I couldn't be of any help, sir."

" _No, it's quite alright. This just means I'll have to go see_ _ **her**_ _again._ "

"Sir, you can't possibly be suggesting you go back there?!"

" _What choice do I have? Besides, it has been a while since I last paid them a visit. I'm sure they miss me; if they even remember me that is._ "

"Are you sure about this Master?"

" _Absolutely. Please, continue to keep an eye on the Hohenheim household; Ed would chew my ears off if she knew I left the kids defenseless when she wasn't around._ "

"Understood sir. Good luck."

" _Good luck to you too, Grandpa. And good night._ "

"Good night, Master."

With that, the person in the shadows hung up and began moving along the rooftops, desperate to get to the Hohenheim household before it was too late.

...

Groaning, greenish, gold eyes fluttered open against the morning sun-light. Those eyes glanced to the side, seeing a door and-

Wait. A door…

Alphonse's eyes snapped open and he jumped to his feet, yelling, "Edward!"

Shit, if he'd woken up by the door, then-

Fuck; that means she never came home last night!

Damn it, damn it, damn it, damnit, damnit, damnit, damn, damn damn-

"Alphonse," Rio mumbled, walking down the stairs and rubbing his eyes, "what are you swearing about?"

Alphonse ignored him, continuing in his panicked, what he'd thought been in his head, swearing, "Fuck, she coulda been kidnapped. Fuck, she coulda been killed! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck-"

"Yo, what's ruffled his feathers?" Rick asked when he ascended the stairs, still in his pajamas just like Rio.

"No idea." Rio shrugged.

"What's up, Rio-kun, Rick-kun?" Nina asked, yawning behind her hand as the boys called a 'Good morning' to her. She looked around the kitchen, "Where's Big Sister?"

The trio took one look around the kitchen, realizing Edward wasn't there. Took another look at Alphonse, who was still panicking. Then slowly turned their heads to each other and said in perfect union:

"Scrap."

…

A couple phone calls and a AlMei kiss later, everyone was sitting in the living room. Roy, Riza, Kain, Sheska, Paninya and Patrick were sitting on the sofa, Roy and Patrick on an arm each. Maes, Gracia and Mei were sitting in the love seat. Winry on a stool. Alphonse, Nina, Rio and Rick on the coffee table.

"And you're sure Edward didn't come home last night?" Patrick asked, "You checked the phone logs, right? See if there was a call?"

"Only 5 times." Rio muttered, glaring at Alphonse, "There wasn't a single call made on the house phone last night, or on Alphonse's cellphone. Plus, he's a really light sleeper, I think he'd know if there had been a call."

"Why was she even out last night?" Paninya asked, "I'd know if she'd gone to a party or something."

Rick glared, "Edward doesn't go to parties, thank you!"

"Rick!" Nina snapped.

Rio gave him a glare, "There's no need for that tone of voice, young man."

Rick glared, "Shut up, Rio, you're only a year older then me!"

"Stop it!"

Heads turned towards Winry, who had been the one to yell and stand up fast enough to make the stool topple. She didn't bother fixing it.

"Save the sibling squabbles for **after** we find out what happened to Ed, okay, guys?" Winry asked, kneeling down in front of the two brothers, "I get it, we're all feeling a little stressed out and plenty worried about Edward-I know I am. But fighting with each other isn't going to help us find her. So, please, save it for after, okay?"

The two brothers nodded, mumbled two different affirmations, then turned their heads away from Winry and each other.

Maes nodded, "Well put Winry, well put." He turned his eyes to everyone in the room, "So, what was Edward doing out of the house?"

"She was at the Library, she's got a S.B.J: Spring Break Job there." Rick explained, "During Spring Break, or any school holiday actually, Edward always finds a extra job. Maybe she likes the time away from us, or she just needs something to busy herself with, but she often works into the dusk and comes home the same time the first star appears."

"I kinda fell into the habit of waiting for her to come home, to be honest." Alphonse explained, "One time while she was out on a job and I wasn't at the door, someone come in and well, it didn't go so well."

"It'd been Barry the Chopper." Rio explained, "Rick, Nina and I had been sleeping, so we didn't know we'd been broken into until midnight when we were woken up by the sounds of a struggle. We went down stairs and found Edward in a brawl with a man holding two butcher knives while Alphonse called the police with tears in his eyes." He cringed, "It hadn't been a good night."

Nina nodded, "I don't have a lot of memories of when Big Sister first arrived, but I do remember that. Since Alphonse didn't want anyone breaking in ever again, he started keeping a watch on the porch. Edward only just managed to convince him to stay inside for the watch last night."

"I should've been out there, then if someone had followed her home, or something, I could have backed her up." Alphonse berated himself, hands clasped together in his lap.

"Hey." Mei called softly, placing her hand over his. He looked up at her sharply, but the Xingese girl only smiled, "It'll be okay, I promise. Edward's tough and we'll find her." Her hand over his tightened a bit and her smile grew a little, "I know it!"

Everyone brightened up a bit and made a couple sounds of agreement.

Gracia smiled, and stood up, "So, what do you think we should do about this?"

Alphonse also smiled, taking Mei's hand and squeezing it as he stood up, "First of all, I think we should report Ed being missing to the authorities. Then, we should split up in teams of three or two with at least one person in each team having access to a phone to call the others if something comes up."

"Why does this sound all too familiar?" Kain asked.

Sheska gave an awkward chuckle, "Sorry Kain, but I don't think now's the time for jokes."

"Agreed." Riza declared, standing up, "Winry, Nina, you two are with me."

"Okay." The two girls nodded and stood up, Nina taking Winry's hand.

"Paninya, Patrick," The twins snapped to salutes at Roy's ordering tone, "I want you two to go with Rio."

"Affirmative, sir!" The new group saluted.

"Kain, Sheska," Rick called, looking up at them, "can I go with you two?"

"Sure thing." Kain smiled at the kid and then at Sheska, who also smiled and the three held hands.

"Alphonse, Mei and Roy, that leaves you three." Maes added, standing up, "Gracia and I will go to Ed's work place, the Cafe and Library, to see if anyone's seen her. Then we'll go to the authorities."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Roy nodded at everyone in the room, "Let's move, then."

Everyone gave a sharp salute, kick of the heals and before running out the door, they all declared:

"Sir!"

...

Meanwhile, in some dark, musty room with a pair of shackles attached to the wall, the creaky door was opened and a body was tossed in. The person who'd tossed the person in spat in their hair, then closed the door again, jamming it shut and locking it.

Only after the sound of retreating footsteps had faded, did LanFan Chang curl up and cry on the stone, harsh, unforgiving, cold ground.

This… This was so wrong on so many levels, it wasn't fair! She'd never… She'd never consented to this, damnit!

LanFan continued to cry as memories came to light.

Dante had taken her to a fairly nice looking building, the kind a model looked like she worked in, then she'd taken her to the basement of the building-or at least, LanFan had thought it was the basement.

Wherever it was, it had looked perfectly sanitary and safe, just like the rest of the building and she hadn't noticed a thing was amiss until Dante had ordered her to stay in a room for her subordinate to arrive.

What set LanFan off had been the bed, handcuffs and pills on the coffee table, and the dim lit room.

She'd been further set off when a rather grotesque man who walked in had not been dressed like a businessman, but more like a father of the church.

" _Greetings, child._ " He'd said with a malicious smile, " _My name is Cornello._ "

And full on alarm bells went off in her head when he put a pill in his mouth, kissed her and forced her to swallow it.

LanFan could hardly remember what happened after that, but in the midst of her hangover, she managed to piece together what had happened to her.

She'd been raped.

She'd been raped in the same building her childhood hero had taken her, saying she'd "introduce her to her work".

She'd been raped because of Dante Hohenheim, her childhood hero and idol.

She'd-

LanFan's sobs only got louder as she tried to get herself to stop thinking about it, pulling on her hair hard enough to make her head spin a little with the pain.

Every day, these horrible men (but mostly Cornello) would take her out for a few photos of her naked, then start drugging/fucking her and once they had done what they wanted to do, they'd throw her back in this ugly cell and leave her there to cry, only occasionally giving her something to eat since they believed she would be sexier if she was skinny.

"LanFan?"

Gasping in shock, the girl rubbed her tears away and looked at the back of the room where, "Edward!"

Indeed, the blonde girl herself was in the back of the room, bloody, bruised and in nearly nothing but a shredded shirt. LanFan was a little bit disgusted to think about how much she probably looked like Ed at that moment-but didn't give it that much thought since it didn't matter.

"What the hell are you doing here, LanFan?" Edward asked, standing up (with a wince, LanFan noted) and walking over to her.

LanFan glared at her, "I could ask you the same thing, **Elric**!"

"I got kidnapped; beat up two of the guys, but the third one surprised me." Edward scowled, then looked at LanFan and asked a little more softly, with a gentle hand hovering over her shoulder (hovering, not touching), "How did you end up here?"

LanFan scowled and punched Edward in the face; the girl went reeling back as LanFan started screaming, "IT'S ALL YOUR FUCKING MOTHER'S FAULT, EDWARD! IT'S ALL HER FAULT, GO DIE, I HATE YOU BOT-"

"Wait, you mean Dante?!" Edward asked, looking utterly confused.

LanFan stopped in her screaming, looking at Edward in confusion, "You, you didn't already know? You weren't helping her?"

"Of course not!" Edward snapped-then an expression of guilt appeared on her face when she saw LanFan flinch. Edward sat down on the ground in front of LanFan again, sighing as if she was trying to relieve some tension, "You said Dante was involved in this?"

LanFan nodded, "She took me to this building that seemed perfectly fine, then let me in a room with this guy named Cornello-" (Edward stiffened at the name) "-and he… he…" She felt the tears falling long before she could even utter another word, "Edward, what is going on?"

Edward sighs and rips off a bit of what's left of her shirt, offering it to LanFan, "Looks like Dante's involved with some human trafficking stuff."

"What?!" The dark head exclaims, "How… how could someone as powerful as Dante get away with this unnoticed?!"

"She doesn't." The blonde growled, fists clenching, "She must have people covering her tracks." She mentally added, " _That bastard Hohenheim probably is. Along with that so-called-doctor, Goldy._ "

"Goldy" was the nickname Edward had given the "family doctor" when she'd first met him because of his gold tooth. He full well knew about the abuse Dante and Hohenheim inflicted on her, but made sure her medical record gave other reasons for the consequences of it so no one would get suspicious.

LanFan started sobbing again, hysterical and scared and loudly. She didn't care how hard the bastards would beat her, she didn't care-all she could think was:

This is it.

She's going to spend the rest of her life like this.

She's never going to see her friends again.

She's never going to get a boyfriend.

She's never going to fall in love.

She's never going to get a job or become a model.

It's ove-

"Hey, it's gonna be okay, LanFan." Edward promises, placing a firm but kind and gentle hand on her shoulder, "I'm going to get us out."

LanFan looked up at her sharply. Edward just smiled and opened her other arm up, as if offering her a hug.

And she took that offer.

She took it with all her heart, gripping what was left of Edward's shirt tightly and sobbing into her skin and clothes, "Why-why-aft-after everything I-I di-did to you wou-would you pro-promise to help me?"

Edward smiles softly and gently runs her fingers through LanFan's abused hair. That felt kind of nice, so LanFan managed to calm down a little bit as Edward began talking.

"No one deserves to be treated as a possession without feelings or the ability to be hurt. You and I are a pair of humans who have been trapped and enslaved by other, not so nice, humans and I promise you…" The gentle arm around her shoulder and the hand on her head became a little firmer as they drew her in a little, "No matter what, you and I will get out of this alive. Maybe not as virgins anymore… we'll definitely get a couple scars…" The hands holding her shook, "but we will get out alive and no one will ever know about this, if you don't want them to."

LanFan's crying began a new, only now they were tears of joy, relief and renewed faith.

LanFan knew how Edward was when it came to promises-she always fulfilled them and she never made a promise she couldn't keep. No matter the odds, somehow Edward always managed to keep her promises and for that, LanFan was eternally grateful.

"Edward, can you…" LanFan sniffled a little, "could you sing something, please?"

"Are you sure?" Edward asks, sitting against the side wall, "The only one that comes to mind might upset you."

"Sing it." She requested, "Please, Edward, sing it."

"Okay." The blonde sighed, "It's called 'Too Beautiful' by He Is We."

Edward hummed for about 11 seconds, then she began singing.

" _What kind of man lays his hands on the woman he loves?  
Calls her angel, but shows no remorse in her blood  
He covers her body in bruises and scars  
You don't understand just how beautiful you are_

 _You are too beautiful_  
 _Your heart wants something more_  
 _Those shades of blue on that face of yours_  
 _Hides that smile that beats in your chest_

 _When he's done with her beating_  
 _He just stands aside_  
 _Wipes the sweat from his brow_  
 _And yells over her cries,_  
 _"You don't know what I've been through!"_  
 _He yells and he says,_  
 _"You don't know what I've done for you!"_  
 _And hits her again_

 _You are too beautiful_  
 _Your heart wants something more_  
 _Those shades of blue on that face of yours_  
 _Hides that smile that beats in your chest_

 _She stands in the mirror_  
 _She looks less alive_  
 _She lifts up her shirt to see she has five_  
 _Branded fingers on her side_  
 _She's feeling it all now_  
 _But she doesn't cry_  
 _She doesn't cry_

 _You are too beautiful_  
 _Your heart wants something more_  
 _Those shades of blue on that face of yours_  
 _Hides that smile that beats in your chest_ "

By the end of it, LanFan could understand why Edward thought she would cry. But, somehow, hearing the song had made her feel a little better.

"Thank you, Edward." LanFan sniffled.

Edward smiled softly and just stroked LanFan's hair, not feeling as if words were necessary at the moment. Besides, her throat hurt a little and actions spoke louder than words practically all the time.

CREEEEAK!

Gasping, Edward shoved LanFan out of her arms and behind her, snarling as the door was opened from the outside. LanFan whimpered slightly, pressing her face to her back in an attempt to hide her eyes and make herself seem a little bit smaller just so she could hide. No, not again-she wasn't really to face them again, please just a little longer, please!

"So, it's true when they say they caught the demon of Thornhill High."

Eyes widening beyond what should have been possible, Edward opened her mouth in shock and whispered-


	17. Chapter 13: A Traitor's History

"So, it's true when they say they caught the demon of Thornhill High."

Eyes widening beyond what should have been possible, Edward opened her mouth in shock and whispered-

"You."

The person at the door grinned. LanFan took the time to check his appearance.

The man (looking about 19, he was no boy) was tall and had a lean, muscular frame. His dark grey eyes appeared as if they were closed, giving him a sort of "shifty" look. His long, black hair was tied in a ponytail with white ribbon while his long, spiky bangs hang over his face, obscuring his right eye. He was wearing a closed black sleeveless Nehru jacket, a long black trench coat with black slacks and black shoes.

At seeing Edward was still frozen (in shock, is it? Oh please let that not be a bad thing) LanFan placed her hand on the blonde's shoulder, "Edward, who is he?"

That seemed to snap her out of it long enough for the blonde to stand up and go into a protective stance; arms straight out, legs apart, a fire of resolve in her eyes.

"What the fuck are you doing here, traitor?" Edward spat, "I never would have thought you'd stoop so low as to join Dante in one of the family side businesses." She then snorted, but it wasn't humorous, "Who am I kidding, of course you would. You did betray us after all. Who's to say you wouldn't stoop to her level on top of that?"

"I missed you too, Ed." The boy grumbled, pouting. He stood on his tippy toes, as if peering over Edward's shoulder then his face split into a wide grin, "Oh! You made a new friend, that's so great! I'm so happy for you, sis!" He then gave LanFan a goofy smile that looked annoying and cute at the same time (but it was more cute, honestly), "HI! My name's Ling Yao, I'm sure you've heard of me from Edward. What's your name, miss?"

"DON'T YOU FUCKING LOOK AT HER, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Edward screeched, running forwards and punching him in the face with the metal hand.

As Ling went flying back, the blonde ran back in front of LanFan and fell into a crouch, arms still out protectively.

"Listen to me, LanFan." Edward warned, voice even with rage, "Don't listen to a single word he says. He's a poisonous liar full of shit."

"Who is he to you, Edward?" LanFan asked, voice shaking a little when she noticed the sound of more footsteps, "He called you 'sis' a second ago."

Edward growled and glared at the door as a couple workers started filtering in, "He's my half brother, okay? No big fucking deal anyway, since he ditched me and the others."

"Mr. Yao! Are you alright?" One of the lackeys exclaimed as he pulled Ling to his feet by the arm, turning his angry eyes on the girls, "Which one of these sluts punched you? I'll have her punished immediately!"

Edward grinned and stood up, pointing a thumb at her chest, "Why, I did of course. And it felt pretty damn good, too."

The guy who'd helped Ling up snarled and took a step forwards, "Why you-"

"Calm down, calm down my friend." Ling laughed, patting the lackey on the shoulder, "She just needs a little bit of a telling off, no harm was really done."

The lackey looked confused for a moment, then smiled, "But of course." He then turned and barked at the other lackeys, "Seize the blonde one and take her to a Client room!"

"What?!" LanFan and Edward cried out.

The other lackeys grinned and grabbed for Edward and LanFan, causing the girls to cry out and struggle. Edward yelled and kicked at her attackers, going so far as to head butt and spit at anyone who got too close and she tried to fend off against LanFan's as well, but it was all for naught. There were just too many of them and soon, Edward was knocked out and being dragged away, the other lackeys also leaving to do whatever the hell they wanted.

Just as Ling was turning around to leave-

Drip! Drop! "Why?" Sniff! Sniff!

-he turned back to look at the girl, who had her head lowered, eyes fixated on the ground, "I've done plenty of things to get this done to me. I tormented people… lied… cheated… I even stole a couple times. So I deserve this. But Edward..." Hands turned to fists that shook like an earthquake, "She never fought back. She'd never fight anyone who'd punch her. She only ever ignored hits, she didn't even report them. She never, ever hurt anyone unless they'd hurt someone close to her, so why…" LanFan threw her head back and faced Ling full on, her burning gaze causing an ache to grow in his heart, "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO HER?! WHAT THE HELL DID EDWARD EVER DO TO DESERVE THIS?! WHAT DO YOU MONSTERS WANT WITH HER?!"

Ling gave a sad smile, one with almost no worth in it, "Your name is LanFan, right?"

Gasping, LanFan backed up against the wall like she'd been stung; she had not expected his voice to sound like that. The goofiness from before had been replaced by the voice of someone who'd shouldered all the world's pain and just barely made it out alive.

"Edward wouldn't want you beating yourself up like that." He gave a little chuckle, "She'd clock you in the face and remind you of all the bad things you think happened because of you, only to point out how none of those things were your fault. She'd yell you into next week if she thought it would help you. I mean," Ling turned around, head over his shoulder, "did you see the way she protected you against me and that mob?"

LanFan gasped, head raising a little and causing her hair to form a quick, little wave before it settled again.

Ling chuckled at the reaction, finding it adorable, then turning around, leaving with just one more bit of advice over his shoulder:

"She cares about you almost as much as she does her kid siblings, so I'd do my best to keep up my self worth if I were you."

* * *

"Damnit," Roy muttered, stopping in his jog to open up his ringing phone, "What is it?"

" **The authorities haven't seen her anywhere, neither have any of the library or cafe staff.** " Maes said from the other end of the line, " **According to one of the library staff, Elisa, Edward offered to take her last shift so she could go come to her uncle, Belsio's, birthday party. That was the last anyone heard of her.** "

"Aww, damnit!" He growled, forcing himself not to kick the ground childishly, "Where the fuck could she be?! We've looked everywhere!"

He spotted Alphonse and Mei jogging over to him after they'd split to interrogate some girls from his high school, "Any news?!"

"None about Edward, Roy." Mei's voice called, "But according to Solaris and Juliet, LanFan has been missing for a while as well."

Roy's eyes narrowed, glaring, "You think LanFan could have something to do with this?"

"Well, according to Solaris and Juliet, LanFan hadn't been acting like herself when she told them she was gonna start pulling stunts on Edward." Alphonse explained, "Maybe she was planning something bigger."

"Or she was being threatened." Mei also suggested.

The blonde gave her a surprised glance, "Mei-"

"Look, I know she was a crap sister and all, but still I," Mei lowered her head hiding her eyes with her bangs, "I know she wouldn't treat Edward like crap unless something had happened. Believe it or not, but she respected Edward; at least on some level and LanFan doesn't talk shit to people she respects. She was a crap sister, no doubt about that, but she wasn't all bad." He voice quivered for a moment, "Really."

Roy gave her shaking fists clenched in her trousers a sympathetic smile. He kneeled before her and ruffled her hair slightly, "You miss her, don't you?"

Mei gave a slight nod and they watched as she lifted her head, a tear falling, "I-I do Roy. She was not the best but she was all I had and I haven't even seen her since Ed did the one thing LanFan should have done and I just-" She broke off into whimpers as the tears fell faster.

Roy smiled softly and brought her into a hug, rubbing her back gently, "Hey, it's okay. We'll find Edward then I promise we'll find LanFan, too. It'll be okay, Mei."

She sniffed, "Promise?"

He chuckled, "Cross my soul and hope to die."

She giggled as well and pulled back, whipping at her eyes, "You're absolutely right." Mei grinned full on, "Let's do this and find my big sisters!"

Roy grinned back at her and also stood up while Alphonse gave Mei a quick hug and peck on the cheek, "Let's."

With renewed determination, the trio went back to their search, scouring the park for a dash of red and gold, as well as a dash of white and black.

* * *

Meanwhile with Edward, she glared at the ridiculous candles that she couldn't blow out because the room didn't have a light switch and she didn't want to be left alone in the dark. She glared at the horrendously well-made bed that might as well have a big sign on it saying 'mess me up'. And she glared at the two-piece thingy that all of the teens are expected to wear while in a client room and she had put on since it covered more skin than her stupid, ripped shirt did.

CREAK!

Turning around sharply, Edward glared daggers at Ling, who stood in the doorway, looking smug.

"Hello, we meet again!" He grinned, hand raised in a wave-like fashion.

Edward snarled, "Go die."

Ling chuckled as he closed the door behind him, effectively leaving them alone. Oh, this was getting better by the minute.

"I see you're as cute as you were when you were smaller." He stated, giving her body a quick once-over with his eyes, "Even the Automail can't take away your prettiness. If anything, it adds to it."

Edward spat into the air and it landed on Ling's shoes, "Fuck you!"

"Oh, that reminds me!" Ling giggled, raising a hand to his lips, bouncing on the balls of his feet like a little kid, grinning evilly, "Have you got a boyfriend or girlfriend yet? Or better yet-a crush?"

"WHAT?!" Face turning red, the blonde glared at him, "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

"Ohh, so there is someone!" The black-hair giggled, lunging forward so his face wasn't far from Edward's, "I want all the details! How hot is he? How'd you meet? Does she go to your school? Is he older than you? Have you had sex with her yet? They're obviously taller than you, so I won't bother asking that-"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING TOO SHORT TO KISS A HIGH SCHOOLER THE SAME AGE AS HER, LET ALONE FUCK HIM?!"

"Oh, so he does go to your school and it is a boy! Such a shame you two haven't done the deed yet, though. And it would appear you don't actually know when his birthday is, but that's fine." Ling cackled evilly, "I'll make sure I know once I get a name."

"UUUUUUGGGGG!" Edward screeched, tugging her hair, "You are such a dick!"

He laughed and patted her on the head because he was ridiculously tall, not because Edward was short because she wasn't damnit, "You love me for it!"

She grunted and swatted his hand away from her head, turning around and walking to the only chair in the room. The blonde sat in the chair and glared at him, "So cut the small talk already and tell me why the fuck you're here. Why'd you let Dante's goons kidnap me? I could tell your little spy was there, you know. Why the fuck would they kidnap me anyway? They all know I'm Dante's daughter, so why would they go after me and risk pissing their boss off?"

Ling turned serious and sat on the bed, "First of all, that little spy is no such thing. He's actually someone you know."

"Oh, so it hasn't been a total stranger stalking me from the shadows every school holiday since you high-tailed it out of that house. Thanks a lot for that, Ling. It makes total sense to pay someone I know to stalk me instead of total stranger."

"I did not want him doing it, but he insisted he had to look after his precious Sun-child if she insisted on working herself to death."

"Wait… you mean, it's been Old Man Fu this entire time? Your God-Grandfather has been the one keeping an eye on me?!"

"Good, so you didn't forget about him."

"Oh come on, who could forget him? I mean, there aren't that many old guys in the world who can pull off ninja-ry shenanigans as if they were teenagers."

"Indeed. As for someone in Dante's organisation kidnapping you… maybe they didn't recognize you?"

"I have golden hair and eyes, I'm not of average height and I have two Automail limbs. I doubt with a description like that, that they wouldn't be able to recognize me."

"True, I guess. Maybe they were gonna ship you off so Dante and Hohenheim could have their fun with Alphonse or his girlfriend-"

"WHAT?!" Edward screamed, jumping up from her chair in shock, causing it to clatter to the flour.

"Calm down, Ed." Ling also stood up, "I've put Fu in the area around your house and he's put some tap things in the adult's room; he'll know if they start planning to fuck him and I know he won't let that happen."

She let out a breath, pulled her chair back up and sat in it, "Thank Gate." She whipped the sweat off her forehead and then glared at Ling, "Back to the matter at hand; why are you here?"

He sat back down as well. He sighed heavily, dragged a hand through his hair and then looked Edward in the eyes, "I wanted to tell you my side of the story. I don't care if you still hate me after this and I don't care if you still wish I'd die after this. I just want you to know that the reason I left had nothing to do with any negative feelings towards you or the kids."

"Talk." The blonde spat, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

The black head smiled brokenly, "Gladly."

* * *

 _" This is the clock up on the wall_  
 _This is the story of us all "_

 _3-year-old Ling Yao sat on the stairs, listening to Echo and Hohenheim's yelling. His cat, Kuro, was sitting in his lap, letting his master stroke him in his time of distress. Stroking Kuro normally helped him to calm down..._

 _But it never worked when Echo and Hohenheim were fighting. It only stopped once Echo left the building, slamming the door shut behind her. Once that happened, Hohenheim would sigh and turn towards the cabinets to get himself a glass for his water._

 _Only once he heard his father call him, would Ling reluctantly get off the stairs and walk into the living room, where Hohenheim would be nursing a cup of tap-water._

 _"Daddy, why did Mommy go? What were you guys fighting about?" Ling asked, worried._

 _Hohenheim sighed heavily, sounding drained, "To work off some steam that's been piling up inside of her because of me."_

 _Ling was only confused by Hohenheim's words. Mommy looked angry, but she wasn't steaming like the kettle did when it made that really bad tasting stuff (the grown ups called it coffee or tea). And even if Mommy was steaming, which isn't really possible because there's no way her body could be that hot and it wasn't cold outside either, how could that be Hohenheim's fault? He was his Mom's Knight in Shining Armour, she told him so._

 _"Daddy, you don't make sense." Ling sighed._

 _Hohenheim chuckled, taking another sip of his water "I know. I'm a mad old fool." He then turned his head towards Ling, "Hey, how 'bout I read you another story about the Fullmetal Alchemist?"_

 _Grinning, Ling nodded and ran to his room, giggling as he called, "I'll pick a book. Be up soon, please!"_

 _"Sure thing!" Hohenheim called, "I'll finish this off, then I'll be up."_

 _"Okay." Ling stopped and turned back around, grinning, "I love you Dad!"_

 _Hohenheim looked puzzled for a moment, then his smile softened and he said, "I love you too, son."_

* * *

 _" This is the first sound   
__Of a new born child before he starts to crawl "_

 _4-year-old Ling had no idea why Echo and Fu were dragging him to a hospital. He didn't know until he was brought into a room where Hohenheim was standing at the bed-side of a really, really pretty lady. She had brown hair, pale-ish skin and really gentle green eyes with a spark in them that reminded him of his Mom a little. And she had a bundle of something in her arms._

 _One he, Echo and Fu were in the room, Hohenheim and the woman looked up at them in mild surprise._

 _"So, this is the little… lady who's replaced me." Echo said slowly._

 _Ling looked up at Echo oddly, "Mommy, what are you talking about?"_

 _"Van," The pretty lady looked up at Hohenheim, "who are they?"_

 _Hohenheim stared at Echo, before sighing and looking to the pretty woman, as if he'd rather not be saying this, "Trisha, meet my ex-wife, Echo Yao, our son, Ling Yao, and his God-Grandfather, Fu Shing. Echo, Ling, Fu, this is my wife Trisha Elric, and our daughter, Edward Elric."_

 _Ling looked at the bundle in the pretty woman, Trisha's, arms oddly, "There's a girl in there? But I thought girls weren't that tiny."_

 _Trisha giggled softly, smiling and Ling found himself smiling too, "She's so tiny because she was just born yesterday. Would you like to meet your little sister?" She quickly opened her eyes and glanced up at Echo, "If it's okay with your mother, of course."_

 _Ling looked up at Echo happily, grinning as he bounced, "Mommy, Mommy, can I meet Edward, pretty please?"_

 _Echo sighed heavily and nodded, "Go ahead and say 'Hello' to the little vermin, if you must."_

 _He grinned and climbed up onto the bed Trisha was lying in, crawling over to her and Edward. Trisha propped herself up properly and then turned the bundle in her arms around so Ling could see who was hiding inside. And the little girl in the bundle was so cute! She was just waking up from the looks of it, her eyes a gorgeous gold and her head had a thin layer of golden hair over it. Her face was chubby and rosy, but she was still so, so cute._

 _Ling giggled and offered her his hand as he sat cross-legged, speaking quietly in hopes of not scaring her, "Hi, my name's Ling. I'm your big brother."_

 _Baby Edward blinked at him before gurgling and reaching out a hand from the blanket. She grasped his pointy finger and shook it, laughing as Ling waved his hand from side to side, up and down and all around, laughing along with her._

 _He decided right then and there that he loved being a Big Brother. And he would stay at his little sister's side no matter what. Unless he had to pee or something._

* * *

 _" This is the war that's never won   
__This is the soldier and his gun "_

 _"Please, Mommy, I wanna see Edward again and I wanna see her, now!" 5-year-old Ling begged, on his knees in front of his mother, "Please, Mommy, pretty please!"_

 _"Ling, I've been telling you this for ages." Echo spat, "You will not be associating with that disgusting little witch, or her mother, or Hohenheim!"_

 _"Why not, Mommy?!" Ling yelled, glaring at his mother, "Edward's my little sister, why can't I spend time with her?! It's not fair!"_

 _"Ling, they've just moved house, I think the last thing they need is two children to look after, right now." Echo sighed._

 _"Just another excuse!" Ling exclaimed, "First it was they would be too busy getting Edward settled into her new home, then it was Trisha was getting back to work and now it's they're moving house! If you're so worried about them having to take care of two kids on their own, why don't you come with me? It isn't fair, Mommy!"_

 _"I can't go with you because Hohenheim wouldn't even want to see me!" Echo stood up from her seat and glared, "NOW SHUT UP LING AND GO TO YOUR ROOM!"_

 _Ling gasped and felt the tears gathering in his eyes. He stamped his foot, "FINE!", kicked the stool that had his mother's sweets jar on it so it would fall and ran up into his room, crying his eyes out into a pillow._

 _He loved Edward so why wouldn't Echo let him go?!_

 _"It's not FFFFFFFFFFFFFAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" He screamed into his pillow._

* * *

 _" This is the mother waiting by the phone   
__Praying for her son "_

 _6-year-old Ling sat in the police car, feeling foolish and stupid. He watched as the officers took him back to his house, where he could see Echo and Fu waiting on the door-step in the drizzling rain. They looked about as wet as he was._

 _And he'd just accidentally got washed down stream, so that's saying something._

 _Eventually, the police car stopped and the door closest to Ling was opened. The officer who drove him down picked him up in his towel and put him back on the ground. When he lifted his head, Echo and Fu were staring at him._

 _He grinned shakily, "Hi, Mom. Hi, Grandpa."_

 _Echo's eyes got even wetter and she started crying. She ran over to him and fell to her knees, hugging him tightly, sobbing, "Oh Ling! I was so worried about you!"_

 _Ling felt his eyes growing wet too as he hugged her back, "I'm so, so sorry, Mommy. I'm sorry. I just wanted to see Edward so much and I…"_

 _Echo ignored him and just held him tighter, "Don't you dare do something like this ever again, young man!"_

 _Ling would have pulled back if he could have, "But, Mom, I just wanted-"_

 _"Where was he, Officer?" Fu asked the policeman._

 _The officer handed Fu Ling's backpack, "We found him underneath the bridge, shivering, soaking wet, crying out for an 'Edward' and saying he was sorry, sir. Once we got him in the car, we dried him off as best as we could and he kept on asking us to take him to 'Edward, my little sister'. He wouldn't talk about Miss. Yao or, you sir."_

 _Fu sighed, "Edward is his half sister. He's only met her once, when she was a baby, but he's been arguing with Echo for two years to try to get her to arrange a visit. We never thought he'd try to take matters into his own hands, though." He bowed, "Sorry for the trouble we've caused you so late at night, sir."_

 _"No trouble, sir." The Officer grinned, "Just doing my job."_

 _With that, he got in his car and left the Yao family._

 _And even after all that, Ling somehow knew, his mother wouldn't even try to get in contact with Hohenheim._

* * *

 _" Pictures of you, pictures of me   
__Hung up on your wall for the world to see "_

 _Ling never gave up on his wish to see Edward again. He got even more determined when he accidentally saw someone say on his mother's Facebook page that Edward now had a little brother. And by accidentally, I mean he found out her password and used it to impersonate his mother to get information out of people who still had contact with Hohenheim._

 _So finally, at age 8, Ling finally persuaded his mother to at least get some pictures of his younger siblings, if he couldn't see them directly._

 _The picture he had was one of the whole family. Edward, now 4-years-old and growing strong, arms around their father's neck as she was held. Trisha, Edward's mother, smiling as gently and kindly as ever at the camera, holding her son. Alphonse, not even a year old, being held up by his mother, who grinned as bright as his sister did. And Hohenheim, their father, who smiled at his family instead of the camera as he held his daughter._

 _They all looked truly happy together._

 _Ling would sometimes be happy for them. Sometimes he'd feel jealous. But over all, he could usually look at that framed photo and feel happy._

 _He did use it to kiss them all good night, so of course it would make him happy._

* * *

 _" Pictures of you, pictures of me   
__Remind us all of what we used to be "_

 _"AHH!" 10-year-old Ling cried out as he tripped on one of his mother's shoes._

 _Cursing softly, the boy picked them up and when he glanced up, his breath froze._

 _A turned down frame caught his eye._

 _Putting the shoes back in the box where they were suppose to be, Ling then walked over to the coffee table and picked up the photo frame. Dusting it off a little, then blowing, Ling looked at it then gasped in surprise!_

 _It was a picture of him, as a baby, being held by Hohenheim, as Echo hung off his father's other arm and Fu grinned cheekily at the camera. Hohenheim looked a little troubled, but not upset, while Echo was smiling fondly at the baby version of himself._

 _Tears filling up his eyes, Ling put the photo back and cried into his hands as he sat there, alone in that cold, empty living room that looked like a tornado had hit it with how many shoes were on the ground. And some of the turned over furniture. Something had been smashed somewhere, too._

 _Why couldn't things have stayed the same?! Why'd they have to change?! Why did he get stuck living with his crack pot mother while his caring, loving father was off with some other kids?! Why didn't his father take him with him?!_

 _Why did his life fall apart like this?!_

* * *

 _" There is a drug that cures it all   
__Blocked by the governmental wall "_

 _11-year-old Ling stared in shock at his discovery._

 _In his mother's draw, there was a white powder. A white powder he'd been warned about in school and been told never to touch if he didn't want his life ruined. A white powder that he had nearly had shoved down his throat (not literally) by some creepy guy in the streets. A white powder that looked a little bit like it was made of crystals._

 _It was cocaine._

 _Hearing the door open, Ling turned around and glared at his mother, holding the packet in plain sight._

 _"What is this," He said slowly, rage seeping in, "doing in your room, Mother?!"_

 _Echo looked up at him, looking as if she was walking in a dream, "Oh Ling, sweetheart. You found my next dosage, thank you. I've been looking for that everywhere."_

 _Ling gasped, "You have cocaine in your bedroom and all you can say to me is that you've been looking for that?!"_

 _"It's just a little thing to keep me going in the night, kiddo, no harm done." Echo laughed, "Nothing bad's happened to your sweet mother."_

 _"No harm done?! This is a drug, Mom!" Ling exclaimed, "How can you sit there and say that?!"_

 _Echo laughed, "Oh you poor, dear. It looks like you might have gotten a little in you too. Don't worry, I'll never tell if you never tell."_

 _"Mom…" Voice wavering as his clearly high mother approached him, Ling started circling, "How can you do this to yourself?"_

 _"How?" Echo laughed, "Oh silly goose! I do this because it makes me happy. And you want me to be happy, don't you, son?"_

 _Tears coming to his eyes again, Ling made a bolt for the door, running past his mother and he kept running. All the way to the police station, cocaine still in hand._

 _He was gonna tell them everything and get Echo some help._

* * *

 _" We are the scientists inside the lab   
__Just waiting for the call "_

 _Ling was still 11 when he got told his mother was dead and his father (and his new wife, Dante) took him in and the abuse started. Ling was still 11 when he met Goldy, the family doctor who covered for his abuse-related injuries. Ling was still 11 when he realized why he'd been made to stay with his mother instead of his father._

 _And he was still 11 when he first heard his sister's voice for the first time in 7 years._

 _" **Hi there, Dad! It's me, Alphonse!** "_

 _(Sigh) " **And me, Edward.** "_

 _" **I really wanted to know how you were doing, so Mom helped us find out your number so we could talk to you. Isn't she the greatest?!** "_

 _" **I only called to tell you I wanna punch you in the face for leaving us. And that we don't need you, jerk.** "_

 _" **Edward!** "_

 _" **You know that's the only thing I have to say to him, Al, why you let me on the phone, I have no idea.** "_

 _" **Please ignore Sister, she's just grumpy. Anyway, since it's Father's Day, I'm just calling to say I miss you Dad. And I love you! Edward's calling for the same reason.** "_

 _" **Yeah yeah, miss you like I'd miss a headache and love you as much as a pile of trash. Later.** "_

 _" **See ya Dad!** "_

 _With that, the message button beeped to say it had been recorded. Taking a look around, as if to remind himself he was the only one home, Ling took out his phone, opened up the recording app and played back the demo. He then deleted it from the house phone and ran to his room so he could hide the recording he'd made safely._

 _Ling knew what Hohenheim would do to it if he found it._

* * *

 _" This earthquake weather has got me shaking   
__Inside I'm high up and dry "_

 _12-year-old Ling did pretty well for himself in school at least. While no one knew of his abuse, he had a whole bunch of "underlings" who'd sneak him food for whenever he'd faint in class. A lot of people started calling him "Greed" because of how much of a glutton he was and how hard he worked to get the food, the grades, the popularity. The second he started answering to that name, even more rumors went up, too._

 _Who cared though? Just as long as he had his gang, he was happy._

 _Bido snickered as he went on with his tale, "And then, just when they thought they were alone, I jumped out of the bushes, screaming my lungs off and they ran away, crying out about a monster!"_

 _Ling, Roa, Dolcetto and Martel erupted into hysterical laughter as Bido bowed. The little guy had a fondness for scaring couples in the park at night and his stories always amused everyone to no end._

 _"Do they ever learn?!" Dolcetto chuckled, "Everyone knows that Deil-V Park is occupied by a 'monster', so why do they keep going there for their romantic stroll in the moonlight?"_

 _"Fuck knows, fuck cares." Martel chuckled, "It's not like it ever gets old though."_

 _"A-greed." Ling joked._

 _Everyone burst out laughing once again since that was another long running gag among the gang. Ling stopped for a moment to catch his breath and watch as his crew carried on._

 _Bido, the ballad nerd with a big nose who was in a lot of Ling's classes and used to get picked on a lot. Nicknamed "The Lizard" for being slippery and his interest in Geckos. Almost always dressed in the same thing everyday since he didn't get the chance to clean his clothes often; being homeless and all._

 _Martel, the blonde girl with the "boy"-short hair, tattoos on her arm despite school rules and a knife on her shoulder. Known as "The Snake" for her cold-blooded appearance and rumors of her having a heart of stone. Truth be told, she had a damn big heart when it came to the crew and often convinced Bido to hang out at her house whenever her drunkard and beating parents weren't home._

 _Roa, the boy with a ponytail, from a family with money and class and a year older than Ling. Known as "The Ox" or "The Bull" for being a wrestling champ in his old school and the strength of the crew. Always did his best to look tip top thought everyone thought he was a thug 'cause he hung out with "Greed"._

 _Dolcetto, the son of a dog breeder and a sword family; not a lot of money or class, but are well known for their dignity and loyalty. Dressed in average cloths, his katana (named Shirley) ever present on his belt. The speed of the group and known as "The Dog" for how quickly he is to defend the crew and his "master"._

 _Then there was Ling himself. Eldest son of one of the most powerful (and rich) men in the country. Half Xingese (the People of Grace) and half Xerxes (the People of Knowledge), though the latter rarely showed. Nicknamed "Greed" for his desire to have more than what he needed (especially food) or the "Ultimate Shield" for how quickly he was to take a blow for a friend or stranger._

 _They were known as "The Devil's Crew" and the classroom they'd take over and use whenever was known as "The Devil's Nest"._

 _And Ling wouldn't want his group any other way._

* * *

 _" Pictures of you, pictures of me   
__Hung up on your wall for the world to see "_

 _13-year-old Ling walked into the club room one time when he was escaping class since things were getting a little tough. And was surprised to see Martel already in there, staring at the wall where they'd pinned up every picture they had of the crew, holding her arm in a place that looked as if it'd been bruised by her parents again._

 _He walked over to her and stayed silent as he also stared at the wall, looking at the photos._

 _There was one from when they'd first claimed the classroom at age 11 (or 12 in Roa's case). They were all standing, rather smugly, in front of the classroom door that had the words "Devil's Nest" carved into it. The teachers had given them hell that day for that, but didn't make them do anything more than fix it._

 _There was also a picture of Bido's 13th birthday. Martel had tricked her parents into clearing out for 2 weeks straight and Bido got a roof over his head for that entire time. Everyone had given him joke gifts that were pretty much useless, as well as practical ones. They were all hugging Bido as he smiled/cried at the camera, the birthday cake they'd all made together held in his hands._

 _Then there was his favorite: a picture of them all in a hospital room with Ling 'sleeping' in the bed, a bunch of drawings on his arm cast, with Roa looking like he was having trouble trying to lift the cast, Dolcetto using his katana to scratch his back, Martel having an evil look on her face as she held her knife and Ling's ponytail and Bido looked panicked as he stood with her._

 _"We've been through a lot together, huh?" Martel suddenly said._

 _Ling nodded and placed his arm over her shoulders, "And we'll keep sticking together, okay?"_

 _He felt Martel nod once, then pulled her into a proper hug as gently as he could. Ling felt her wrap her arms around his waist and hide her face in his jacket, tears slipping slowly and silently. Ling took them over to one of the couches and sat them down, allowing Martel to no long need to rely on her shaky legs._

 _And they just sat there for a while. Just holding one another on that couch. They held each other even as they were falling asleep to the sound of the final bell._

* * *

 _" Pictures of you, pictures of me   
__Remind us all of what we used to be "_

 _"Aww, aren't they so cute?"_

 _"Picture worthy, I'd say."_

 _"Take it, quick Bido!"_

 _"Roger!"_

 _FLASH!_

 _Ling and Martel woke up to the flash of the camera and the sight of Roa, Dolcetto and Bido all grinning rather evilly as Bido held the crew's camera._

 _"Huh?" Martel rubbed at her eyes, "What's all the fuss about?"_

 _"The fuss is about the newest couple in town." Roa snickered, "Show 'em, Bido!"_

 _Bido grinned and showed the new 'couple' the back of the camera._

 _On the screen was a image of Martel and Ling, lying down/cuddling in their sleep, just waiting to be developed into blackmail material. Ling had his arms wrapped protectively around Martel, a leg thrown over one of her legs, as if attempt to shield her or keep her close. Meanwhile, Martel had her head and one of her palms flat against Ling's heart while her other hand had curled around one of his arms._

 _Growling and blushing, the duo untangled themselves and lunged for the trio who were laughing their asses off, a scuffle breaking out over the camera._

* * *

 _" Confess to me every secret moment   
__Every stolen promise you believe "_

 _13-year-old Ling took a deep breath and said, "You guys know how Martel's been abused at home, right? It's how she got here."_

 _The Devil's Nest gang nodded, even Martel, who was in the hospital bed with a bandage around her forehead, a cast on her right arm (elbow to wrist) and a black eye on her pretty face._

 _"And you guys remember that time I got in the hospital because some guys in the streets jumped me? The one when we had the doctor take that silly picture?" Ling reminded._

 _Horror filled and shocked nods told him that everyone had figured it out._

 _"Boss, why didn't you tell us?" Dolcetto asked, looking like a kicked puppy, "We would've understood, Ling."_

 _"And we would've kept quiet, too, you know we would've." Roa added, "We coulda helped ya."_

 _"Guys, shut up!" Martel snapped, "I think we already know the answers to those questions, so why are you bothering?!"_

 _Everyone went quiet, knowing she was right._

 _Ling didn't tell them because Hohenheim is one of the most powerful men in the country. If Ling so much as squeaked, anything could have done wrong._

 _Ling already know they would've understood things; that didn't make telling them easier._

 _Ling also knew they'd keep quiet, too. He just couldn't endanger them._

 _Ling knew they would've helped. Helped by giving Hohenheim hell and getting themselves slaughtered._

 _Ling had done it all just to keep them safe from his parents._

 _Bido smiled at Ling and said, "At least we all know now, huh, Ling?"_

 _Ling smiled at the younger one and gave him a little head rub, "Yeah, you sure do."_

* * *

 _" Confess to me, all that lies between us   
__All that lies between you and me "_

 _14-year-old Ling finished picking the lock of the Devil's Nest and walked in, waiting on Martel to come, just as he'd asked her. He only needed to wait 10 minutes before she silently came into the classroom, spying him and his 'torn up inside' posture instantly. Ling glanced her out of the corner of his eye. She sure was gorgeous, even when she looked ready to snap at someone._

 _"What happened?" Martel asked him, softly._

 _He had his elbows on the table, his fingers threaded together and pressed to his forehead, "Hohenheim's gonna marry Dante Rapper. She's got two half-Ishvalan sons, 1 and 2 years old. And she joined in on Hohenheim's fuck fest with me last night."_

 _Martel didn't make any sounds of horror or shock. She only sighed sadly at the news and sat next to him, slinging an arm over his shoulder, wordlessly offering him her support and comfort. Ling took his hands from the position they'd been in and wrapped them around her waist, hiding his eyes in his neck. The blonde pulled him into a hug and start rocking back, slowly and assuringly. No one said a word for a very long time._

 _"Martel." Ling lifted his head so he was looking her in the eye._

 _"Yes?" Martel acknowledged him._

 _"Can I…" He hesitated but a moment, then regained his courage, "can I take you out on a date? As in more than friends thing? Please?"_

 _For a moment, Martel was shocked and her heart beat a little faster, then she calmed herself and said, "Sure, if it'll take your mind off things."_

* * *

 _" We are the boxers in the ring   
__We are the bells that never sing "_

 _15-year-old Ling, 11-year-old Edward and the rest of the Devil's Nest gang cheered as Roa made another blow on his opponent. No one really knew the rules of Boxing, but they knew it was a good thing when Roa got the guy under him-_

 _"OOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW!"_

 _-and that it was a bad thing when the guy got over him and kept him down. The referee timed it and unfortunately, Roa lost._

* * *

 _" There is a title we can't win   
__No matter how hard we must swing "_

 _"Awww, damnit!" Edward ranted as she and the group left the stadium, "And you were so damn close, too!"_

 _Roa chuckled, bandages around his palms and wrist, and ruffled the girl's head, "There's always next year, no need to throw a fit over one loss, Edward."_

 _"Besides, it was a pretty impressive fight." Dolcetto added, "He kept that other guy on his toes to the very end."_

 _"Dolcetto's right, it was pretty close." Bido agreed, "And I have it all on film, so I should know."_

 _Edward folded her arms and pouted, "I still wish Roa'd won. Then you guys would have something to celebrate over when you got home."_

 _Martel smiled, "Kid, you don't need a reason to celebrate. You just need to do it."_

 _"And just doing it is what we do best." Ling added, "And if you want, you can join in."_

 _Eyes alight with shock, Edward looked between all the teens, "REALLY?! You'll let me hang out with you guys more tonight?!"_

 _"Uh-huh." Everyone nodded, grinning._

 _The kid's grin was wide as the oceans as she lunged for Ling and Martel, the closest people to her current position in the group, "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you all so much, you're all awesome!"_

 _Laughing, the Devil's Nest gang (plus Edward) went on into the night, leaving the loss behind them with a smile._

* * *

 _" Pictures of you, pictures of me   
__Hung up on your wall for the world to see "_

 _Ling snarled at Dante and Hohenheim as they tried to get him again, "For the last time, I WON'T DO IT ANYMORE!"_

 _"You can and you will, Ling!" Hohenheim snarled back, grabbing Ling's arm, "I'll make sure of it."_

 _"I said that I won't do it and so, I fucking won't!" Ling snapped, wriggling his arm free, "You can't keep me here! I'll be 16 in just a couple of weeks, then I'll be long gone!"_

 _"If you dare, you'll be crawling back to us within the first 2 weeks!" Dante glared, "I know you will!"_

 _"You WISH!" Ling yelled, "NOW GET OUT OF MY ROOM!"_

 _Snarling and leaving after slapping him twice, the adults stomped out of Ling's room. The teen fell on his bed and sobbed for a little while. He didn't actually know how long he lay there. But the only thing that disturbed him that night was his bedroom door creaking open with a gentle call of, "Ling?"_

 _Quickly rubbing his eyes, he turned his head and smiled towards the little head of blonde hair that was by his door, "Hey, Ed. Don't worry, you can come in now. I promise I'm not mad."_

 _Slowly, Edward creeped into his room and closed the door behind her. She then broke out into a run and lunged for him, hugging him tightly. Startled, Ling feel back on his bed with a sound of surprise. He glanced down in confuse, only to freeze._

 _She was crying. Edward had her eyes clenched shut as tears made rivers on her face and soaked into his shirt, arms around his back and clutching the back of it tight. Choked sobs and fearful whimpers filled the air._

 _Feeling his heart squeezing, Ling wrapped his arms around his little half sister and hugged her, humming and cooing softly to ease her fears._

* * *

 _" Pictures of you, pictures of me   
__Remind us all of what we could have been "_

 _Ling prepared to put the last photo away, when he paused and looked at it's content._

 _It was a picture of the entire Devil's Nest gang and Edward. It was just after the boxing tournament that Roa lost in. They'd gone out to the last cafe that was open and all gotten ice cream, smoothies and a slice of cheese cake. They all had crumbs and ice cream all over their faces (Martel was cleaning Edward's mouth with a tissue when the photo got taken), but they were smiling like they'd won the lottery, despite the crushing defeat Roa had gone through._

 _"What's going on, Ling? Why's all your stuff in boxes?"_

 _Ling sighed heavily ("_ Guess I have to tell her now… _" He thought) and stood up. He turned around and walked across the room to where Edward was standing in the doorway. He then kneeled down and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder._

 _"Edward, you know how Dad, Dante and I have been fighting a lot lately?" He asked, smiling sadly._

 _Edward nodded, confusion clear in her eyes, "Yeah, so what?" Her eyes widened in horror for a moment, "Wait, are you leaving?!"_

 _Ling's expression became pained; God, she looked so upset at just the thought, "Yeah. I'm going to go live with my girlfriend, Martel. You remember her, right?"_

 _He saw her pout for a moment in concentration, then say, "She's the girl with the knife on her back and a snake obsession, right?"_

 _Ling chuckled and nodded, "Yeah, that's her."_ That's my girl alright.

 _"Why are you going to live with her?" Edward asked, "What have you, Hohenheim and Dante been fighting about so much that you're flying the coop?"_

 _The black‐haired boy gave a sad smile; he hated leaving her and the others alone here, but... "You'll learn when you're older, I hope."_

 _With that, he stood up and went back to work, pretending to ignore Edward as she shrugged and left him to his own devices._

 _Once she was gone, he hid his face in his hands and sobbed. Oh Gods above, please keep her safe. Take his life if they had to, but please keep his sister safe from those monsters, please. He wanted to keep trying, to keep protecting them, but he… he just couldn't keep it up anymore._

 _He wished he could have the strength to stand up to the adults, to keep his friends and siblings all together, to make his them smile everyday, to make Martel happy the way she made him happy. They all could've run off into the sunset away from them, they could've gone into hiding and change their identities so they could be free, but he..._

 _"I'm so sorry, Ed. I'm so sorry."_

 _Ling was just too weak to bear the burden._

* * *

 _" Pictures of you, pictures of me   
__Hung up on your wall for the world to see "_

 _16-year-old Ling looked around the apartment he'd been sharing with Martel for the last several months in despair at it's size. If only it had been big enough for his brothers and sisters. If only he'd had the strength and guts to snatch more of Hohenheim's useless bills so he could've gotten them some place bigger. If only-_

 _"Ling, stop being so negative, please. It's depressing."_

 _"Sorry." Ling chuckled, turning to her, embracing Martel as they relaxed in bed for a little while, the only free time they had now, "I just… You know I miss them. And worry a lot."_

 _Martel gently ran her fingers through his (for once) lose hair, "I know. Edward was a real spitfire, and Alphonse was a complete cinnamon roll. Rio and Rick weren't too bad for little kids and Nina was quite the cute baby. It makes sense you'd miss them and worry for them. But Fu's been keeping an eye on the house and he knows that they're alive."_

 _"I know. I just wish I knew they were really okay, instead of being just alive. Just surviving instead of thriving." He lowered his head and hid it in her neck, "Martel… do you think I made the right decision when I did all this with you? Did I make the right move as their Big Brother?"_

 _"I honestly don't know, Ling-o." Martel sighed, voice heavy, "But it's helping them somehow. I know it. Now, let's get ready to urn our and their shit."_

 _Nodding, the couple got out of bed for their shared cold shower, then for their simple breakfast of honey sandwiches and their walk to work. The lifestyle they were living wasn't extravagant, hell it was hardly tolerable, but if it got them that big house that they could live in with all the kids faster, they'd suffer it._

* * *

 _" Pictures of you, pictures of me   
__Remind us all of what we could have been  
_ _We could have been, we could have been "_

 _17-year-old Ling stood in the mockingly gorgeous weather before a simple grave as the rest of the old Devil's Nest gang departed behind him at his request. It should have been made of black granite, covered in gold writing, with a glorious, polished finish. Instead it was simple, cheap stone, the carving done in barely recognizable words even though the headstone was as new as the body in the coffin._

 _"Martel Vabinmad  
_ _1997-2014"_

 _He lowered his head and felt the tears running down his face long before he'd even realized they were building up in his eyes. The Xingese boy fell to his knees before the stone, the single rose in his hand causing it to bleed, but he could hardly feel the physical pain over the ache in his chest._

 _Once they got the kids safe, they were going to get married. They'd already promised each other that. They were gonna raise his siblings, bring his parents to justice and maybe when they cleared out, they'd adopt more kids to fill up the big house and raise them, too. They were going to all live and make that house their home, together. They were suppose to have done all that together, but now…_

 _And the worst bit was, Martel knew. She somehow knew she was gonna die because she'd written a letter to him and a will. Martel even paid for her own funeral costs in advance, from the coffin to the gravestone. She never hinted to anything. She never told him how limited their time was._

 _All she'd ever say if he so much as asked if she was feeling okay was, "I'll live."_

 _Ling cried even harder as he remembered the letter she'd written._

 _It had explained what the cause of her death was; some insanely rare heart disease that had been passed on down from both her parents. It told him that no matter how shitty the conditions got, every moment with him had been special to her. It told him that she was going to inherit a large sum of money from her grandparents when she was 18 and she was now passing it over to him. The last few lines were about how she wanted him to keep fighting for the kids and for him to promise to finish what they started. And the ending line was:_

 _"P.S I love you, Ling Yao. Don't forget who you've been fighting for."_

 _Lifting his head, Ling's eyes hardened in resolve. He placed the bloodied rose on Martel's grave. Stood up. And walked away, eyes facing forward and refusing to look back._

 _He'd never forget who he'd been fighting for, nor would he dishonor a promise she asked him to make. Before Echo had gone bad, she'd always tell him that the people of Xing kept their word._

 _And now it was his turn to keep his word to Martel and his siblings._

* * *

 _" Pictures of you, pictures of me  
_ _Remind us all of what we could have been  
_ _We could have been "_

 _19-year-old Ling whipped his sweaty forehead as he finally finished with the last of the furniture and surveyed his handy work._

 _It had been a long, hard battle to get to this point. The courts had nearly decided to hand the money Martel had left for him over to the government since she was no longer around; Fu and Ling had to fight fairly hard to get it back. Then there had been the manner of getting a steady job instead of all those part-time, practical slavery and back alley things he'd done over the years to get his pennies. He'd won a couple of competitions over the years on accident and saved the money from them all for this._

 _Now, this big old house, with 5 bedrooms (including master), 3 bathrooms (2 upstairs, 1 downstairs), a living room, dining room, kitchen, backyard and front yard, was all his. And very soon, it would also belong to 5 adorable and annoying kids who he hadn't seen in almost 4 years and he hoped were still safe and sound._

 _Ling smiled and looked at the living room's windowsill where 3 very special pictures were framed._

 _The first picture was based landscape. Bido was dressed up as a lizard, Martel was in a snake costume, Dolcetto was pouting in a dog suit, Roa was posing in a ox suit and Ling was dressed kinda like a pimp; only with a burgundy shirt, black leather pants and a fur vest. They were all grinning at the camera, a sign above their heads saying "Devil's Nest"._

 _The second picture was based portrait. Ling was standing up in a suit, smiling goofily as he had one arm around an old man's shoulders and the other arm linked to his hand, which was making a 'V' at the camera. The old man was shorter than Ling, with spiked up silver hair, a serious/annoyed expression on his face and olive eyes. This was Fu; his god-grandfather and his family._

 _The third picture was in a circular frame. 15-year-old Ling was holding 3-year-old Rio in his arms, 11-year-old Edward had 2-year-old Rick around her shoulders and 7-year-old Alphonse had baby Nina in his lap. They were all in the living room, with Alphonse and Nina sitting in an armchair while Ling and Edward stood on the other sides of it with their little brother. They were all smiling._

 _Soon enough, they'd all make new memories like that one. Only this time, it would be without the ever looming threat Hohenheim and Dante represented, hanging over their shoulders._


	18. Chapter 14: Dramatic Escapes

Edward could hardly believe her ears. She didn't know a lot about Ling's history until now, but there was no way all of that had been true. It… it couldn't have been, could it?

"All I ever remember you doing was bringing home your stupid friends and making a mess of the place while getting drunk." Edward lied, knowing very well that Ling's old gang never made a mess of the house, never drank there and were always very kind and gentle to herself and the younger kids. Hell, the Devil's Nest were almost like a big, bad-looking, good-hearted gang of babysitters/older siblings.

Ling smiled sadly, nodding, "It's fine if that's what you'd rather believe, I can't force you to understand me. But Edward," He raised his head a little, face determined, "Martel and I, along with the old crew, worked pretty hard to get that house. And I would really like it if we could get the kids away from here."

Edward snorted, "Oh please, I haven't seen you in 4 fucking years, how am I to know you aren't just lying and trying to lure me into a false sense of security? Maybe that's what this whole thing's about; you distracting me, making me feel safe and that I can trust you. And when I'm not looking, you'll stab me in the back and kill my siblings."

"Ed, I would never!" Ling pouted, whimpering, "I'm so hurt you'd even think I would try to hurt my adorable little sister."

"WHO YOU CALLING LITTLE, YOU SQUINTY EYED ASSHOLE?!" The blonde snapped.

A angry tick mark appeared on the dark haired man's head, "Fuck off about my squinty eyes, Edward."

"Or else what?!" She continued, "You gonna kill me?! Fuck me?! Turn me into some disgustingly, little sex slave without any mind of her own?! Killing me's gonna be easier to do than that!"

"I don't want to have sex with you and I don't wanna kill you, either!" He added. "I just wanna help you, okay? I just wanna help our siblings and keep them safe from what we went through."

"YOU DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO CALL THEM YOUR SIBLINGS SINCE YOU ABANDONED THEM!" The teen raved, "YOU DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO CALL YOURSELF THEIR BROTHER!"

"I KNOW THAT, OKAY?!" Ling finally caved, standing up from the bed, angry tears falling down his face, "WHY CAN'T YOU FUCKING SWALLOW YOUR DAMN PRIDE AND LET ME HELP YOU?! I'VE WAITED 4 FUCKING YEARS TO SAVE YOU AND EVERYONE ELSE AND NOW YOU WON'T LET ME SAVE YOU BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE YOUR BROTHER?! I KNOW I DON'T HAVE THAT RIGHT, OKAY?! MARTEL FUCKING DIED FOR YOU TO BE FREE FROM DANTE AND HOHENHEIM, EVEN IF I HAVE TO KIDNAP YOU, I WILL NOT LET YOU OR THE OTHERS STAY WITH THOSE BASTARDLY RAPISTS ANYMORE!"

Edward, also at the breaking point, yelled at the top of her lungs, "YOU'VE BEEN WAITING 4 YEARS TO SAVE ME?! I WAS FUCKING GLAD YOU AND YOUR LITTLE HUSSY RAN AWAY FROM THIS BLOODY TOWN SO THOSE PSYCHO-RAPIST-BASTARDS THAT WE HAVE AS PARENTS COULDN'T HURT YOU ANYMORE! WHEN YOU WALKED OUT THAT DOOR, I WAS CRYING NOT BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT YOU TO GO BUT BECAUSE I WAS HAPPY YOU ABANDONED ME TO SAVE YOURSELF!"

Realizing what she had said, the siblings gasped in shock; Edward clamped a hand over her mouth while Ling just stared at her.

"You…" Ling gulped, "You knew about the abuse?"

Edward lowered her hand, took a deep breath, and let it all out with one word, "Yes."

"Since… since when?" He asked, shakily moving forwards, "Oh God, Edward, don't tell me they were doing it to you before I left?"

"No, no, nothing happened to me until after you left." She explained, "That doesn't mean I couldn't hear what was going on. I was 11 and a genius, it wasn't hard to figure it out. However, Hohenheim and Dante knew that. They said they'd move on to one of us once you were gone, so I made a deal with them. I let them do anything to me and keep my mouth shut and in exchange, they'd let you go and never touch any of the kids. They agreed and so, when you were gone, I cried because you were gonna be safe. They've kept their word, I see, since you're doing okay, apparently."

Tears gathering in his eyes, Ling moved towards her again, "Edward, I-"

"Look, it's no big deal, okay?" She huffed, turning away from him, "I didn't even know what I was losing, nor did I care back then. It's not worth regretting, since it was my choice to play 'Whores and Chains' with them."

There was silence between them for a few moments.

Then, Ling hardened his expression, stepped forward, "Edward-"

BBBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!

The sound of a door being slammed open, shouts of the police storming the building and panicked workers could be heard from the other side of the door. The siblings turned to each other and nodded.

"You get the fuck out of here. I'll go get LanFan." Edward stated.

Ling nodded, "You got it. You want my jacket?"

The blonde smirked, "And ruin evidence? I don't think so."

He also smirked, "Go for it then. I'll be at your house when this shit's over."

With one final nod, Edward was heading for the door-

"This isn't over, Edward. We will have this discussion again some time."

-Ling's calling stopped her.

Her head had lowered through the declaration and then she lifted it. Grabbing the door handle with both hands, the blonde pulled it open and sprinted for the cages, hoping to get to LanFan in time. As she ran one way, Ling went the other in hopes of escaping unseen.

* * *

Meanwhile in LanFan's cell, the poor girl was crying her eyes out. Damnit, why couldn't she protect Edward?! Why was she so fucking weak?! That stupid, stupid girl had put herself in harm's way for LanFan's sake and she couldn't do anything to stop her from getting screwed by her brother! Why didn't she make a distraction, or flirt with him, or something?! DAMNIT, WHY COULDN'T SHE DO ANYTHING?!

SLAM!

"Huh?!" LanFan cried out, looking up.

Suddenly, she was grabbed by her upper arms rather roughly and was dragged out of her room. Panicking, the Xingese girl kicked and screamed, "NO, I'M NOT GONNA GO BACK THERE, YOU CAN'T MAKE ME, STOP IT, STOP IT, STOP IT!"

LanFan bit the hand of the man that had her arm, struggled her other one free and ran the other way, screaming, "EDWARD! EDWARD, HELP ME, ED-"

SMACK!

After that rather brutal punch to the face, LanFan's head was spinning a little. She felt herself getting thrown over a shoulder and saw out the corner of her eye all the other cell doors and the people inside (generally 9 to 16-year-olds, but she saw some people in their 20s and one or two 5 and unders, too) being taken away, too.

" _What's going on?_ " She thought, " _Why are we all getting out? Where are they taking us?_ "

"LANFAN!"

The girl lifted her head slightly to see, "Edward?"

Sure enough, there was a girl with hair and eyes of gold and an arm and leg of silver at the end of the hallway, staring at LanFan in determination.

"Edward, run!" LanFan called out.

* * *

Sprinting as fast as she could, Edward dashed down the hallways in desperation. Gotta help her, gotta save LanFan, she had to!

"NO, I'M NOT GONNA GO BACK THERE, YOU CAN'T MAKE ME, STOP IT, STOP IT, STOP IT! EDWARD! EDWARD, HELP ME, ED-"

" _That's LanFan's voice!_ " She thought, forcing her legs to go faster despite the desperate burn. Fuck, she was gonna hurt tomorrow.

Not wanting to slow down for the corner, Edward kicked off from the wall as she reached it, calling as she turned mid air and stopped just a moment to let her legs chill out from the aftershocks, "LANFAN!"

Spotting a black haired, female body thrown over a shoulder, gray eyes staring at her, Edward could only just hear her whisper desperately, "Edward, run!"

-Before she was attacked from behind, a worker getting their arm around her throat.

Remembering some street fights and YouTube videos, Edward instinctively grabbed the guy's elbow, braced her right leg to the side and began to twist out. Shoving her right leg behind the worker, she turned her head to get out of the hold and held onto the arm that he'd used. The blonde then kicked the back of his shin in with her metal leg and threw a punch at the guy's jaw.

He hit the ground before he realized what was happening.

And Edward was running before he'd even finished falling.

Other workers got in her way as she ran past and through them, grumbling as they nearly nailed her several times.

"I haven't got time for this shit!" The girl snapped.

Spotting an escape route, Edward jumped for some leftover crates that had been abandoned. Some people ran below her while others climbed the crates to run behind her.

When she reached the end of the crate line, she jumped down, kicked one of the foundation crates in and made the rest of the crates fall, thus causing the workers on them to fall and there was nothing but chaos left behind her.

Edward smirked, before taking off in a sprint again, determined not to let LanFan or the others get away.

After running for the longest and most anxious 5 minutes of her life, Edward finally caught up with LanFan, only to see her getting shoved in a house trailer with the other kids. Seeing the worker rounding the trailer and about to speed away, Edward starts sprinting again.

" _No, no, no, no, no, no, no, I won't let her get hurt, I won't, I won't, I won't, I FUCKING WON'T!_ " Edward chanted in her mind as the van started moving away, then screaming, "LANFAN!"

* * *

As soon as she was thrown into the trailer with the other kids, LanFan took the time to notice the throbbing in her skull. She also took notice of the person behind her, speaking to her gently and lifting her head into their lap.

"Can you hear me okay, Lanny?" A soft voice called.

Glancing up, LanFan would have smiled if her head didn't hurt so much, "Rose, it's you."

The girl leaning over LanFan smiled softly at the gentle tone of voice. Rose had deeply tanned skin, as if she'd grown up near a desert, with flowing dark chocolate brown hair that ended at her waist and bright pink curled bangs that framed her face so, so gently. Her eyes were a soft shade of dark blue and she was wearing a white, two piece bakini-like outfit, barely covering anything. She looked like she was about to go to one of their clients, since she didn't smell like sex.

Rose had been very kind to LanFan when she was tricked into being there. While the girls hardly saw each other, they'd been in cells right next to each other and talked through the barriers, letting it all out, crying, talking, laughing. If that place really was hell, Rose was a misplaced angel who handled her punishment well enough to help others who struggled with theirs. She really was a godsend at times.

Rose was probably the only reason LanFan had lasted as long as she had.

"Why are you still here?" LanFan asked quietly, lifting herself up, "You're pretty fast, so why didn't you run?"

Rose smiled sadly and looked behind her to a little grubby looking girl, covered in dirt and bruises, who was clinging to Rose with her tiny eyes closed and hands fisted near her skin, but not gripping it probably in fear of bruising. The kid couldn't have been any older than 6.

"Some of the guards were beating her when I ran by, being chased by other workers as I tried to escape, so I picked her up and carried her with me." The tanned girl lowered her head in shame, "But they were faster and promised not to beat her or me if we came quietly, and if I didn't, we'd both get shot. I couldn't do anything but let them drag me here."

"Oh Rose," LanFan embraced her friend, rocking slightly the same way Edward had for her, "that's not your fault, I promise you we'll get out."

Rose nodded against LanFan's shoulder, "I… I think you're right. I can feel it."

LanFan smiled and then looked at the door that was closed, hope in her heart. Rose had never been wrong when it came to her feelings. Not once.

"LANFAN!"

Gasping and jumping up, LanFan ran to the door and looked over the top to see, "EDWARD!"

VRUM! VRUM!

Surprised, LanFan fell as the vehicle started up, beginning to drag the trailer away.

No.

Getting back to her feet, LanFan watched as Edward ran over to them and she noticed the trailer started picking up speed.

"LanFan, hang on!" Edward cried out as she also picked up speed, "I'll make it!"

"No you won't, it's already moving!" LanFan cried, "Stop it, Edward! Get away! Forget about us before you get hurt!"

The blonde growled, "NEVER!"

-And made a magnificent leap, grabbing onto the trailer door edge, knuckles white. Edward growled as she tugged herself over and LanFan grabbed the back of her shirt, also pulling her in. Once she was safely inside, Edward grinned at LanFan, breathlessly and said, "I told you I'd make it."

LanFan then burst into tears, clinging to Edward as she cried, "I'M, I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE NOT-NOT HURT, ED! I'M SO GLAD! I, I THOUGHT YOU W-WERE DONE FOR AND I-I'D D-DONE NOTHING AND I'M, I'M SO SORRY-"

Edward smiled and gently patted LanFan's head as she slumped down with her, "There, there, LanFan. It's gonna be okay. I'm gonna get us all out of here, don't worry."

It was then that Rose ran over to them, "Are you both okay?"

"We're fine." Edward panted, standing up and looking around at the other kids in the trailer.

( _"Hello  
Hello  
Hello"_)

She saw younger and older faces, some with expressions of despair, others surprise and a few intense fear. The blonde sighed sadly; she'd had to look at those faces way too much already in her life. It's time she changed things.

( _"Waking up at the start of the end of the world,  
But it's feeling just like every other morning before,  
Now I wonder what my life is going to mean if it's gone."_)

"Alright everyone, listen up!" Edward pointed a thumb at herself in determination.

( _"The cars are moving like a half a mile an hour  
And I started staring at the passengers who're waving goodbye  
Can you tell me what was ever really special about me all this time?"_)

"My name is Edward Elric! I'm rude, impulsive, stubborn, but I always keep my word!"

( _"I believe the world is burning to the ground  
Oh well I guess we're gonna find out"_)

"And I promise you this!" She pointed at all the other kids as she yelled this, "I'm gonna get you all out of here, safe and sound!"

( _"Let's see how far we've come  
Let's see how far we've come"_)

"Even if I get myself shot, you're all gonna get outta here, safe and sound!" The blonde declared, "I'll clock the drivers in the face if I have to!"

( _"Well I believe it all is coming to an end  
Oh well, I guess, we're gonna pretend,"_)

Some of the younger kids giggled at the prospect. Edward allowed herself a smile, before looking at them all a final time to address them.

( _"Let's see how far we've come  
Let's see how far we've come"_)

"Everyone is gonna be alright! I promise!"

( _"I think it turned ten o'clock but I don't really know  
And I can't remember caring for an hour or so  
Started crying and I couldn't stop myself  
I started running but there's no where to run to"_)

For a while the kids just stared at her in shock, but Edward ignored the glances in favour of heading for the back of the trailer again, where she could see the world that they were passing behind them. Looking out the window, she spied a main road, a lot of buildings and a lot of cars.

( _"I sat down on the street took a look at myself  
Said where you going man you know the world is headed for hell  
Say your goodbyes if you've got someone you can say goodbye to"_)

"Main road in a city, huh?" She spouted a purely Edward Elric grin, "Well that suits me just fine."

( _"I believe the world is burning to the ground  
Oh well I guess we're gonna find out"_)

"Hey, kids," The teen looked behind her, "any rope and white cloth back there?"

( _"Let's see how far we've come  
Let's see how far we've come"_)

The kids blinked, then a small boy looked behind him and brought out a ring of blue coloured rope and a white handkerchief, "Uhh, will this work, Miss?"

( _"Well I, believe, it all, is coming to an end  
Oh well, I guess, we're gonna pretend,"_)

"That's perfect, kid." Edward walked over to him, took the rope and cloth out of his hands and ruffled his head, "This'll help us out a lot." She stood up straight, with the rope over her shoulder and the cloth in her hands, and looked around, "Now, anyone got a pen or a knife? Anything you can draw with, really."

( _"Let's see how far we've come  
Let's see how far we've come"_)

At the silence, the blonde sighed, head lowering, "Okay, I guess I'm gonna have to scare you guys a little to get this done, so I apologize in advance."

( _"It's gone, gone, baby, it's all gone  
There is no one on the corner and there's no one at home"_)

She then started bitting her left hand's fingers until they were raw and bloody. Some of the kids cried out in shock, telling her not to do that to herself while others just sat there, scared. Edward ignored them and dropped to the flour, drawing a circle with her blood, then adding in symbols and shapes until she had a transmutation circle. She then used her blood to draw on the cloth as well.

( _"It was cool cool, it was just all cool  
Now it's over for me and it's over for you"_)

With the circle finished, she placed the rope in it and clapped her hands, then stuck them to the circle lighting it up.

( _"Well it's gone, gone, baby, it's all gone  
There is no one on the corner and there's no one at home"_)

One of the kids gasped, "Holy shit, she's an Alchemist!"

( _"Well it was cool cool, it was just all cool  
Now it's over for me and it's over for you"_)

The light faded, revealing a lasso. Edward picked it up and tied it around her waist, tugged once to make sure it was secure, then flung half her body out the window.

( _"I believe the world is burning to the ground  
Oh well I guess we're gonna find out"_)

"Everybody and anybody, grab onto the rope and don't let go! We're still in the city, so I'm gonna make a scene! We'll get noticed and the cops will be on their tales, no time sweat!" She winked and then turned her body and climbed onto the roof.

( _"Let's see how far we've come  
Let's see how far we've come"_)

"Edward, are you crazy?!" LanFan called, grabbing the rope and holding it tightly, "You're gonna get yourself killed and what if someone from school recognizes you?!"

( _"Well I, believe, it all, is coming to an end  
Oh well, I guess, we're gonna pretend,"_)

"Wait, LanFan, let me help too!" Rose stood up and grabbed the rope behind LanFan, forming a very short human chain.

( _"Let's see how far we've come  
Let's see how far we've come"_)

"And me!" The little girl who'd hidden behind Rose stood up and grabbed the rope, giving it a good tug to show she had it.

( _"Let's see how far we've come  
Let's see how far we've come"_)

"Me too!" The boy who handed the rope over latched onto it.

( _"Let's see how far we've come  
Let's see how far we've come"_)

"Count us in too!" Two twin teen girls called, also grabbing it.

( _"Let's see how far we've come  
Let's see how far we've come"_)

"Don't forget about us!" Three teen boys grabbed the rope next.

( _"Let's see how far we've come"_ )

Meanwhile on the roof of the truck, Edward smiled to herself as she waved a white flag that read "S.O.S" in blood. That should get some attention drawn towards them.

* * *

Later that day, all the trailers were being emptied and all the children given blankets to cover themselves with. Police, investigators and paramedics were all over the scene, interviewing the victims, cuffing the workers and comforting the criers.

Off to the side, Maes and Gracia stood together, smiling happily as Edward had a very tearful reunion with her brothers and sister. Roy eventually kinda dragged her from the reunion to give her his jacket since that blanket didn't cover nearly enough. And Mei and LanFan were crying in each other's arms, apologizing a thousand times over. Rose stood behind the teenage girl, holding LanFan's blanket in place since she knew the girl would like to be covered and hug her sister at the same time.

And for now, things were okay. Not perfect, not terrible. Just okay.


	19. Chapter 15: True Friends

Edward yawned as she wandered the hallways. Stupid nightmare, waking her up in the middle of the fucking night. It was to be expected after the ordeal LanFan and her went through. Doesn't mean it isn't a pain though.

"Leave me alone! Stop it! SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

Instincts kicking in, Edward sprinted down the hall at the sound of LanFan's screams. Shit, if someone had gotten into the safe house then-

She barged into LanFan's room, where the screaming was coming from, only to flick the lights to see the girl sitting up in bed, hand clenched around her shirt where her heart was and looking like she'd seen a ghost.

LanFan looked up at Edward slowly, whimpered, "Edward…"

Feeling her heart clench in sympathy, Edward crossed the room to her, "I'm here, LanFan. What do you need?"

Lanfan started crying, "A hug."

Edward gave her a crooked smile, "I can do that."

The blonde wrapped the other girl up in her arms, letting her sob into her shirt to her heart's content.

After they escaped Dante, the kids were all asked to stay in the safe house until they could find them suitable homes. The majority of the kids turned out to be orphans or runaways, with nowhere else to go. Anyone who did have family on the other side wasn't allowed to talk to them, for the kids' safety of course. It was a pretty good place for a bunch of orphaned kids; there were areas where they could just be kids, everyone had their own room but there were two beds in each one encase anyone wanted company. All things considered, it was a pretty cool place.

But that didn't make Edward feel any safer. While she was locked up here, away from the rest of the world, her siblings were out there. Alone in that big old house with Dante and Hohenheim, who were undoubtedly pissed off that one of their underground businesses got dug up into the light of the public eye. They obviously knew Edward was one of the kids in here and probably thought she placed the biggest hand in busting the place.

And those who were very cruel when it came to revenge. They were more than cruel.

What if Dante and Hohenheim did something to Alphonse while she was gone? What if they found out Ling was in the neighborhood? What if they tried to-

" _Shut up, Ed._ " She hissed at herself, tightening her arms around LanFan, who was still crying hysterically, " _You can't think about that now. You gotta be strong; for LanFan. For the other kids here. They need you to keep it together. You need to keep it together. Everything is gonna be just fine._ "

"I…" LanFan sniffled, "I wanna see a therapist, but I… I don't trust them not to make decisions without my consent. To mouth off to someone I don't want knowing shit. I wanna talk, but there's… there's no one I can turn to. No one I can trust. I… I'm trapped."

Edward could relate to such thoughts and feelings. When your life was too horrible for the world to handle and you had to bite your tongue and keep it all inside, it weighed on you. It wore you out and made your thoughts too heavy to sleep on. Made it impossible to feel comfortable in your own skin when it had been defiled so many times. But talking out would shatter the life you made that kept you comfortable and happy.

With those thoughts on her mind, Edward opened her mouth and offered what she hoped would help, "You can talk to me if you want."

LanFan stopped sniffling and stared at her in shock.

Edward blushed a bit under the gaze, but she didn't let up; she couldn't, "I'm no therapist, so I don't know what'd be best for you. How I can help or if there's anyone out there who can make it better. I won't always say the right thing either. But, you can confide in me. I know how to keep a secret, LanFan. So, if ever you wanna talk to someone… you can talk to me."

She offered a smile to finish the statement, hoping it would help.

LanFan started whimpering again, then it was crying and suddenly she was hugging Edward again; thanking her a thousand times over for offering her support. Edward returned the hug with a few back rubs and pats, offering her comforting words as she wept.

Eventually, LanFan's tears dried up and she fell asleep in Edward's arms. The blonde smiled softly and eased her back under the blankets, so she could sleep soundly.

She went to leave-

But halted and look to her finger.

Even in sleep, LanFan was hanging off her finger, holding it not too tightly but not loose enough to allow Edward to leave. That's the same way Alphonse held her finger after a nightmare, when they were younger and he didn't want to go to Mom for help with it.

Sighing softly, Edward sat on the floor and rested her back against the wall, grabbing the blankets from the other bed and fell asleep there, with LanFan holding her finger.

* * *

A few days later, the safe house owners started letting the kids out again. Of course, officers tailed them encase they got into trouble, but they were out again. Which was definitely making LanFan happier.

"Look, Edward, aren't they pretty?" LanFan exclaimed, giggling at a set of earrings.

They were simple heart-shaped ones that reflected the light, a tempting treat for any magpie, "I guess they're cool."

Edward lifted her head and looked around, freezing and then saying, "Excuse me, I gotta use the bathroom."

The blonde walked off quickly, leaving LanFan a bit bewildered. They'd just gone to the toilets before leaving the safe house-

"LanFan!"

Happily, she turned around and squealed in delight, "Lyra! Solaris! Juliet!"

Sure enough, it was LanFan's groupies, all looking fabulous.

"Where were you, we hardly saw you over the Spring Break?" Lyra remarked.

LanFan offered a sheepish smile, "Busy."

Solaris raised an eyebrow, "One word answers aren't like you, LanFan. Hiding something?"

Juliet grinned, "Is it a boy? Is it a girl? Or is it someone else?!"

Lyra made a slightly disgusted face, but didn't comment.

Blushing to the roots of her hair, LanFan frantically waved her hands about, "It's, it's nothing like that, Juliet, I swear!"

"Oh?" Juliet grinned smugly, "What's the stutter for, then?"

"Leave the poor girl alone, Juliet." Solaris scolded, lightly, "I'm sure she'll tell us if it's something important."

"Anyway…" Lyra drew their attention to the shop window, where another piece of jewelry had caught her eye, "wouldn't this look just gorgeous with the new dress I bought?"

With that, the girls went back to how they've always been with each other; talking about clothes, jewelry, make up. LanFan found it kind of comforting to be back in the swing of things, but something…

It felt like something was missing.

* * *

"Why do you avoid me in public?" LanFan demanded.

Edward froze, then sighed, "I was hoping you weren't picking up on that."

"You aren't being subtle about it at all, Edward." LanFan deadpanned.

The blonde sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. The two of them were at the safe house, since it was the best place for them to have those 'therapy' sessions. No noisy house full of kid siblings. No empty house that you'd rather avoid for the rest of your life than go back to.

"So, fess up." LanFan added, "Why have you been avoiding me outside of this place?"

Edward sighed and turned serious, "It's because of our images at school and around town."

"Huh?" LanFan blinked.

"Think about it." The blonde stated, bringing up a pointer finger and doing a stupid voice, "Ice Queen Edward: hates everything and everyone, probably a witch, will bite you if you touch her siblings. Queen Bee LanFan: loves fashion, everyone thinks of her as a mean girl, will sooner party than study. These two quarrel all the time, I've been betting for ages that Edward's just gonna punch her in the face one day, since she's super violent and all. Wait, what?! They're friends now?!" Edward sighed and lowered her hand, "If we started hanging out and being buddy-buddy with each other, the rumor mill would go nuts and we'd get way too much drama. I don't think that would be very good for you right now, so I avoid you in public. Plus, I can't imagine your friends are very fond of me."

LanFan frowned, "I guess you're right, but… You're my friend, Ed."

Edward smiled, "I consider you a friend, too, LanFan, don't worry. That's why I was avoiding you. Now, umm, what was that about a diary?"

With that, the two went back to their talking over coping mechanisms for LanFan.

* * *

"Hey, girls!" LanFan called.

"Hey, girl!" Lyra, Solaris and Juliet mirrored, sitting in the car that Lyra owned.

LanFan hopped in, dressed to kill it on the dance floor, throwing on her seat belt, "We ready for a fun night?"

"You bet!" Juliet smiled.

"Gun that thing, Lyra!" Solaris ordered.

"On it!" Lyra smirked.

With that, the car pulled out and the four girls were on their way.

* * *

"You're really gonna make me do this?" Edward scowled.

Roy smirked, "Only if you want to hold up your end of the deal. You know I'd be doing whatever shit it was you'd have made me do if I lost to you."

She sighed and took the box from his hands, "Fine, I'll go to the stupid, pointless party that'll likely have nothing but whiny drunk kids trying to get laid there."

He shit-smiled, "I'm so glad you see things my way, deary."

Eyebrow twitching, the blonde ran up to her room to change into whatever the hell Roy had gotten her. Roy invited himself into the house and Alphonse chuckled.

"Now you owe me, man." Alphonse gleefully reminded him.

Roy smiled, "Of course, my friend. Anything for a saboteur who risked his life for my cause."

Mei popped up beside him on the couch, "Don't celebrate just yet you guys."

Rio popped up next, "She could still catch on that we all helped you win that contest."

Rick was beside him, "Once she sees that ridiculous dress you got her, she might decide it just isn't worth it."

Nina giggled, "I'm pretty sure she won't though. She's too stubborn for that, even if she sees the shoes that go with them."

"I'd keep one eye open in my sleep though." Ling walked in from the kitchen, a non-alcoholic ginger beer can in his hand, "She'll kill you after this."

Roy chuckled sheepishly, "Just promise me on my tombstone you'll have the words 'He was a nobleman'. Or something badass like that."

"Sure." Alphonse then bounced up, "I'm gonna go see how she's doing. She'd normally be dressed by now, even if it was something like this."

He walked up the stairs and once he disappeared, everyone congregated to the bottom of them to listen in.

"Ed, can I come in? Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I'm ready Al. Let's get this night over with so I can kill the bastard tomorrow."

"Oka-WHAT?! Oh no, you are not going out like that!"

"Al, I got the dress on and I'm wearing the stupid shoes, what the hell's wrong with that?"

"Ed, you're wearing tights that don't match, the same leather jacket you wear everyday with that dress and no make up. I refuse to allow you to go out like that."

"You're not my stylist, go away, Alphonse!"

"Not until you sit still and let me do your god-damn make up!"

"I'd rather eat slugs!"

"You and I both know that can be arranged."

"Get the guy, then, I'll just sit here and wait."

"Thanks, Ed, just hold that pose for a second longer."

"Al, what are you doing? What is that stuff? Alphon-"

"Calm down, you big baby, I'm just doing a little lip gloss. Which requires you to not talk."

"..."

"Okay, now it's time for the blush-"

"No."

"Edward."

"Al, no."

Everyone giggled as they awaited the drama to finally finish and Roy and Edward could leave.

* * *

The neon lights, the thumping music, the displayed skin, the grinding bodies… it was an environment LanFan thrived in and loved with all her soul and body. Especially when she was with her friends.

This was her element.

"Things are as wild as ever." Juliet remarked.

Solaris smirked, "So, we here to party or to show off for the men?"

"Does it matter?" Lyra asked, "Let's just get to having a good time."

"Yeah!" LanFan agreed, rushing into the dance crowd.

Once there, she started dancing with whoever was next to her, going with the flow, following the music and the intensive energy in the air. It made her go nuts on the inside, her body lost to the rhythms, all thoughts disappearing. This was LanFan's happy place, where she could just lose herself and be.

After a while though, her body came back to herself and she realized she needed to go. Bidding goodbye to her dance partner, LanFan ran for the bathrooms and went into a stall. She did her business and reached for the handle-

"That LanFan drives me up the wall!"

That sounded like Lyra…

"Bouncing around out there, sluttishly grinding on anybody too close to her, giving everyone the eye. Why doesn't she just pick a boyfriend already and cut that out?!"

"She's pansexual, Lyra. She might not want a boyfriend."

"No, she has to get a boyfriend, her dating anyone else would be so wrong, ugh."

"I guess it'd be a little weird. But only because I've only seen her with boys so far."

"See?! Even you guys agree with me!"

"Who she dates is none of our business, Lyra."

"As her friends and the managers of her public image, it is all but our business who she dates! Who she dates could destroy her image! Plus, it would be so gross if she was kissing a girl or something in public."

"Lyra, I think you're being a little over-controlling."

"And I don't think you care at all about her image and therefore our image enough. Just the fact that she's probably grinding up against some other bitch out there is probably going to ruin things at least a little."

"You really can't stand it, can you?"

Heads turned towards LanFan, who had opened her stall and was facing the three. Lyra was still making that disgusted face, Solaris and Juliet looked highly ashamed and guilty. LanFan didn't care.

She stepped out of the stall, legs shaking, voice fighting against the sob, "You can't stand that out of all the people on that dance floor, you're the only one who I won't look at twice. I think you've realized why I don't look at you like that though now. Goodbye, Lyra."

With that, LanFan stomped out of the room and continued to fight the tears. She reached the main room-

"Hold it!"

Lyra grabbed her shoulder and forced her to turn around.

"You're just gonna throw me away like a broken toy just because I disagree with you?!" Lyra screamed in her face, "I'm the only reason you're as popular and well-liked as you are, because I keep things like this hush-hush! You'd be nothing without me!"

LanFan started crying as Lyra went on. People were turning their heads to the drama unfolding.

"Don't be stupid, you're useless without me! The only reason the whole town doesn't know you're a slut is because I keep what you do in places like this quiet!" Lyra's voice was rising, "My job would be so much easier if you weren't so fucking hungry for everything!"

The music dropped, everyone too eager to see what Lyra was gonna do.

"I'm so sick of sucking up to you and your pansexual cunt or whatever! I'm sick of you!" Lyra shrieked.

LanFan was crying pretty hard now, make up ruined, eyes wide with fear. Lyra pulled back a fist-

SPLASH!

-only for a cup of punch juice to be thrown at her. Lyra turned her head slowly to the source of the attack, as did everyone else, only to find-

"Ice Queen Edward?" Lyra demanded, "Whatever the hell are you doing in a place like this? And of all things, in a dress like that?!"

There was Edward, standing in a red dress and red classy flats that showed off everything she had going on. Her knees and cleavage were on full display, her eyes rimmed with mascara and she was blushing like mad.

"I lost a bet." Edward remarked, moving to fold her arms, then thought better of it and hissed at Lyra, "What the hell do you think you're doing anyway? Screaming at your bestie in front of all these people? I thought you valued your image a lot more than that."

Lyra smirked, "No one here will say a word about this to anyone. I'll make sure of it. And what do you care what I do or say to LanFan? It's not like you two are actually friends or anything."

Edwards' hands clenched into fists, "I came here to sit on the side-lines and avoid everyone."

"So why interfere anyway?" Lyra chuckled, "Or are you as gay and disgusting as LanFan? Is that why you turned that hunk of meat Roy down at every turn, but keep him around anyway?"

Edward clenched her teeth, "He is not a hunk of meat, he's my friend. Don't you dare say a single dehumanizing thing about any of my friends ever again, Lyra, or I will shut you up for good."

Lyra cackled, "Oh, temper, temper. Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. Now, uhh, I think you spilled your drink on my new dress and owe me an apology. Along with a few dollars for the cleaning bill."

"I won't apologize to scum like you." The blonde snarled, "Maybe say sorry to LanFan and I'll consider it."

"Oh? What's it matter to you if I say sorry to her?" Lyra smirked, "You feel sorry for a fellow lesbian? Ya know what, that's the best rumor yet; let's have the school think you're a lesbian and chase you out."

Edward was silent, head down and eyes behind her bangs.

"She's defending me because…"

All heads turned to LanFan, who was glaring at Lyra hard through her tears, "Because I care about her and she cares about me in turn!"

Everyone gasped, dramatically.

"We're friends! She's the only person who knows how much I've been hurting these past three weeks, the only person who's comforted and helped me and supported me even when she was hurting, too! I'm not strong enough to help her the way she's helped me," LanFan preached, "but I know that I have helped her in other ways, she told me to my face! She's the first person who's risked their image for me because they care about me, unconditionally and I'm willing to do the same for her! I don't even need the Queen Bee title anymore, since my Mom isn't around to ruin the show and I've found out my so called best friend is a homophobic bitch! I don't need either of them anymore…" The dark haired girl walked over to stand at Edward's side, "Because I have true friends now."

Everyone was frozen in shock, Lyra included.

Edward excluded though, "What the hell are you doing, you idiot?! I hate you, who gave you permission to stand that fucking close to me-"

"Edward." LanFan's voice was a lot softer now and she gave the blonde a genuine, soft smile, "All my life, I've been nothing but a sheep, following the flock because I was too scared to think for myself. My sister wasn't afraid to do it, but I was and that was why I tried to suppress her all those years. Because those who think for themselves get hurt. But that's over; Edward, you taught me how to get up on my own two feet, think for myself and I will forever be grateful to you for that. So, if you'll allow me to abandon my title as 'Queen Bee', I would very much like to just be your friend around other people, if you'll let me. Edward, I consider you a friend and I'm not scared to let people know that, so please just consider letting it show that you feel the same."

Everyone was still frozen stiff. The Queen Bee was talking to the Ice Queen like they'd been best friends their whole life. How the hell had that happened?!

Edward sighed and chuckled, "Jesus Christ, you're so reckless. What the hell am I gonna do with you?"

LanFan giggled, "Call me your bestie?"

"You can forget some stupid name like that. I'll call you my best friend, if you want, but bestie is off the table." The blonde laid down the law, waving her hands away in displeasure.

"Aww, but best friend is so long! How about BFF instead?" The dark-haired girl whined.

"No." Edward said.

The two blinked at each other then chuckled.

PLUNCK!

Turning their heads in surprise, the two spotted Lyra standing there with an entire bowl of what looked like pudding on her head.

"Oh yeah!"

Eyes turned to the snickering pair of trouble makers who made the whole school fear them; Patrick and Paninya.

"Your aim was a little off, Patrick." Paninya scolded.

"Who cares, I still got her, Paninya." Patrick responded.

Boiling like a kettle, Lyra grabbed the bucket from her head and threw it at the pair, knocking them down from the hanging lights they'd been holding on to. No one said a word while she stormed out of the room. No one was stupid enough to laugh at her while she was like this.

After hearing a car pull out though, everybody lost it. Some people actually collapsed on the floor from their laughter.

"DJ, play us something innocent and fun, like, now!" Paninya ordered.

The DJ smirked and did as ordered: The 'Friends' theme song "I'll Be There For You" by The Rembrandts.

" _So no one told you life was gonna be this way  
Your job's a joke, you're broke, your love life's D.O.A.  
It's like you're always stuck in second gear_

 _When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year, but_

 _I'll be there for you  
(When the rain starts to pour)  
I'll be there for you  
(Like I've been there before)  
I'll be there for you  
('Cause you're there for me too)_

 _You're still in bed at ten and work began at eight  
You've burned your breakfast, so far things are going great  
Your mother warned you there'd be days like these  
But she didn't tell you when the world has brought you down to your knees that_

 _I'll be there for you  
(When the rain starts to pour)  
I'll be there for you  
(Like I've been there before)  
I'll be there for you  
('Cause you're there for me too)_

 _No one could ever know me  
No one could ever see me  
Seems you're the only one who knows what it's like to be me  
Someone to face the day with, make it through all the rest with  
Someone I'll always laugh with  
Even at my worst, I'm best with you, yeah!_

 _It's like you're always stuck in second gear  
When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year_

 _I'll be there for you  
(When the rain starts to pour)  
I'll be there for you  
(Like I've been there before)  
I'll be there for you  
('Cause you're there for me too)_

 _I'll be there for you  
(When the rain starts to pour)  
I'll be there for you  
(Like I've been there before)  
I'll be there for you  
('Cause you're there for me too)_"

That night, LanFan went home with Edward and while she prepared herself for bed, Edward made a call to the Hughes to let them know LanFan just might want to live with them in the near future.


End file.
